Macmillan Cancer Support has said it plans to cut 310 jobs after a dive in funding amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The charity announced the redundancy proposals as it warned it expects a £175 million fall in fundraising income by the end of 2022.

Lynda Thomas, chief executive officer of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “The scale and nature of the coronavirus has had a catastrophic impact on our finances that no-one could have anticipated, and we are devastated to have to make this tough decision.

“Our people are at the heart of everything we do and we are absolutely committed to ensuring that this is managed equitably and fairly, and that all impacted colleagues are treated with compassion and care.”

It said the measures are designed to protect critical cancer services, such as Macmillan nurses and the Macmillan support phone line, which have been heavily affected by coronavirus.

The charity has already stopped all non-essential expenditure, furloughed approximately 30% of its workforce, introduced a recruitment freeze, closed a number of offices and suspended its annual salary review.

The announcement has come during the week of the charity’s Coffee Morning fundraising campaign.

Ms Thomas added: “Despite the disruption and financial challenges brought on by the pandemic, our top priority is helping everyone with cancer live life as fully as they can.

“Right now, someone is diagnosed every 90 seconds in the UK and we call on both the Government and the general public to help ensure that cancer doesn’t become the forgotten ‘C’ of the pandemic.”

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the boss of Cancer Research UK warned it could cut jobs if funding continues to be affected.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive, said it could be forced to cut 1,500 scientists if the funding crisis continues to worsen.

Prostate Cancer UK said it has also cut 55 roles in order to cut its employment costs by 30% to shore up its finances.

The charity said it expects income for the current financial year to be about 50% lower due to the impact of the pandemic on fundraising efforts.