Cancer carers have condemned health watchdogs for hiking up their fees by a massive 20 per cent.

The Healthcare Commission's new inspection charges are due to come into effect immediately.

It says it is to recoup the full cost of the inspection fees.

In response, hospice staff at Sue Ryder in Oxenhope are lobbying Health Minister John Reid demanding payment in full for the national health patients they treat.

They are backed by carers at Bradford's Marie Curie centre, who have also written to the commission to object.

The increase comes as the National Council for Palliative Care demands an extra £100 million from the Government to support the work of hospices like Sue Ryder's Manorlands and Marie Curie.

The NHS does not pay the full cost of patients cared for in palliative care units.

Jane Edgeley, Marie Curie director, branded the licence fee increase "ridiculous" and says it should be tied to the inflation rate.

And Sue Hesse, Manorlands manager, said she objected to the increase being inflicted on the hospice without consultation.

The Health Care Commission is an independent body which inspects establishments like clinics and hospices and issues a licence. Without it, they cannot operate.

Manorlands' fees before the increase were £1,500 a year and Marie Curie in Bradford had to pay £1,650.

Both organisations rely on fundraising to finance the biggest proportion of their running costs.

Manorlands costs £1.6 million a year to run and receives 45 per cent of the necessary funding from its local primary care trusts. Marie Curie needs to raise £1.2 million of its £1.9 million budget.

Mrs Edgeley said the increase was disproportionate compared with the three per cent increase in cash they expected from the primary care trust.

"The news came as a shock. We have had no explanation," she said.

"It may not seem a lot of money but every penny counts when you have to rely so much on the generosity of the public."

Mrs Hesse said: "We do not object to being inspected - minimum standards have to be achieved - but we have not been consulted and we are saying why do we have to pay such an increase?"

A Healthcare Commission spokesman said the increase was in line with the Government's policy which was to recover the full cost of regulation and inspection.

"The Government wants the commission to move towards full cost recovery," she said.