Eight out of ten people believe hospital car parking charges should be scrapped for patients with long-term health problems, a poll has found.

Almost a year after Scotland banned the charges, a survey for Macmillan Cancer Support found people would like the Government in England to follow suit. The charges have already been abolished in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has said people needing an inpatient stay should not be charged, but Macmillan does not believe this goes far enough.

About 15 years ago, cancer patients would have required a hospital stay but modern treatments mean they can be treated as day cases and therefore have to pay the charges, it added.

The charity said hospitals save £6,000 by delivering a six-week course of radiotherapy as an outpatient - money that should be used to help cancer patients with the cost of parking. In England, each hospital decides how much it wants to charge patients for car parking.

Macmillan chief executive Ciaran Devane said: "It is morally wrong that cancer patients in England are still being forced to fork out parking charges just so they can get to their life-saving treatment. It's time this tax on illness ended for patients in England as well.

"The governments of each other British nation have seen sense and brought in free hospital parking, now we are calling on the Westminster Government to do the same. Hospitals save money by treating cancer patients as out-patients, so there is no possible reason to then charge them when they get to hospital."

In the summer, Macmillan said 60 per cent of cancer patients were not offered discounted or free parking, despite guidance from the Department of Health saying they should.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Trusts should have concessionary schemes for all outpatients requiring regular visits for diagnostics or treatment to allow reduced price or free parking. It would not be fair to favour one group of outpatients over those with other long-term conditions. The local NHS should set its criteria based on local circumstances.

"NHS organisations are responsible for ensuring that eligible patients are aware of concessionary schemes. Our guidance is that patients should be given details ahead of their visit, which could be sent with their appointment letter."