Sainsbury's Bank says charges should be made clear

The study, by Sainsbury's Bank, found the number of ATM machines which charge has grown by 13 times, to over 11,000, in the last three years.

According to the survey, customers will have to pay �42.6m in ATM charges this year.

The research also showed that people are confused over how often they have to pay charges.

Warning sign

As a result, the bank is calling for operators whose machines impose surcharges to display clear warning signs rather than the more discreet on-screen messages currently used to warn customers.

Last month, the Nationwide building society, which has abolished ATM charges, made a similar call.

The issue of charging for ATM usage hit the headlines three years ago when the major High Street banks backed away from plans to charge customers for withdrawing money from rivals' machines.

Tim Pile, chief executive of Sainsbury's Bank said: "All we are saying is that, as with most things in financial services, you should be straightforward with people if they are going to be charged. It seems to me that it is almost hidden."