Britain's poorest areas are to benefit from the introduction of free cash machines, it has been claimed.

A significant number of British adults live in an area where there are no cash machines, or the machines that are there require a fee to be paid.

However, a nationwide program is underway - "spearheaded by Britain's high street banks" - to install standard cash machines in these areas.

More than one million customers will gain access to cash machines that do not charge them for withdrawing money from their current account, according to the British Bankers' Association (BBA).

Angela Knight, chief executive of the BBA, said: "Banks are determined that customers have access to their cash wherever they live and work."

She added: "Banks have driven a campaign to put machines into some of the UK's poorest areas which means people on low incomes will have the same free access to cash as those in more affluent places."

A survey conducted by Oxera found that half of the cash machines in Britain allow for users to withdraw money without charge.

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