MINISTERS face growing pressure to take action against cash machine operators after research found that more than 40 per cent of ATMs charge fees.

The study has also uncovered almost 100 “cash machine deserts” where there are no free dispensers at all, forcing local people to pay for access to their own cash or travel considerable distances to the nearest bank.

Most of the areas identified are deprived, so some of the poorest households in the country are having to pay between £1.50 and £3 to gain access to their cash.

The problem has become more acute for pensioners and low-income households since the subject of money machine charges was last examined by the Government in 1999.

Almost all state benefits, including the basic state pension, are now paid directly into bank accounts to save costs.

Citizens Advice, which conducted the research, discovered that hospital patients and students are being targeted by the operators.

It identified “charging hotspots” at hospitals and university campuses where a captive audience are forced to pay to draw their money.

David Harker, the chief executive of Citizens Advice, said that poorer families were being penalised.

“This is becoming a growing problem. People on low incomes need to take out small amounts of money and more frequently, but they should not be penalised as a result,” he said.

Citizens Advice highlighted Chapeltown in Leeds where there are ten fee-charging machines and no free ones. The last post office closed in 2004 and has not been replaced. It is one of the most deprived areas in Britain, about a third of people are on income support and about half of children live in families classified as “income deprived”.

John McFall, the chairman of the Commons Treasury Committee, which has examined the question of dispenser fees, said: “It is important that there is a broad network of free ATMs available for low-income consumers.” He is chairing a working party with the banks and financial institutions that will report to Ed Balls, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, in the autumn.

Experts say that if left unchecked the trend suggests that charging machines will outnumber free ones by October next year. Last year 2,969 fee-charging machines were installed, compared with 44 free machines. There are about 58,000 machines in Britain.

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