Premier League and Championship clubs are neglecting low income families by charging up to £700 for children to be mascots at games, according to MPs and fans groups.

West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Norwich and Aston Villa all advertise rates up to £500 and beyond for their biggest matches despite complaints from supporters.

Julian Knight, the new chairman of parliament's powerful Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, is now pressuring elite clubs to slash charges to help deprived families. Being a mascot, he said, is becoming "the preserve of the well off, completely against the working class roots of the game".

His comments come as Raheem Sterling, the new face of Gillette, appears in an advert highlighting discrimination which features him walking out of a tunnel hand-in-hand with a young mascot. His club, Manchester City, are among seven top tier clubs now offering places for free and Knight says he cannot understand why all teams are not following suit.

Research by The Daily Telegraph estimates the Premier League clubs who still charge are profiting in total by around £500,000 combined per season, allowing for places that are given away for free. Teams regularly have an allocation these days of a mascot accompanying almost every starting player.

West Ham, consistently criticised over their £700 price tag for category A matches, have responded in part by making three mascot packages at each game free next season through a ballot for young season ticket holders and members.