The announcement that banks and building societies are to scrap cash machine 'disloyalty' fees is welcome news for hundreds of thousands of people.

And the Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society must be applauded for its role in putting pressure on other institutions not to penalise customers by insisting on keeping the charges.

Thanks in part to the Society's campaign, the £1.50 'disloyalty' charge, imposed by some banks on customers who withdrew cash from machines operated by their rivals, will be scrapped from July.

However, the campaign is not over. Last month members of the Link cash machine network voted to impose additional surcharges - to cover administration - on non-customers who withdraw cash.

The Yorkshire Building Society has vowed to continue to fight against these charges being brought in and has said it does not intend to impose them itself.

The society has rightly recognised people do not want to pay to get access to their own cash and it is time other banks and building societies woke up to this fact.

There are many people who see the charges as nothing more than greed on the part of organisations who already make massive profits.

Banks and building societies should realise consumers are not powerless when it comes to such matters and can vote with their feet by boycotting machines where they know they will be charged and taking advantage of high street retailers who offer cash-back facilities with no charges involved.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.