Building societies have urged MPs to adopt measures to protect consumers against fee-charging cash machines.

The Building Societies Association (BSA) called for greater advance notification of charges on ATMs with warnings that are clear, specific and prominent.

In a submission to the Treasury Select Committee's inquiry into cash machine charges, the association said that societies, led by Nationwide, have been at the forefront of campaigning to ensure that customers know when they are being charged by a cash machine before they begin a transaction.

A survey conducted by the BSA revealed that no building society charges customers to withdraw cash from their machines and none has plans to do so.

During the past five years, the number of cash machines that charge has increased by more than 18,000, while the number of charge-free cash machines has grown by only 8,000.