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The life and pensions company estimated that someone aged 30 would need to save £292 a month in order to fund a comfortable retirement. However, if they were to suffer from a critical illness, such as cancer or a heart attack, their saving potential would likely be affected.

For example, L&G said if such an illness prevented the sufferer from saving into their pension for 10 years, they would have to save £635 a month to achieve an equivalent pension.

However, proceeds from a critical illness policy could be used to make regular payments into a pension plan.

An average critical illness cover payout of £60,000 would provide two years worth of monthly pension savings (based on a 30-year-old saving £292 a month). This would still leave £50,000 to pay off some debt or pay for medical care.

Bonnie Burns, protection product marketing director said: "It's well documented that many people do not save enough for their retirement. However, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a critical illness then you may never get your pension plan back on track.

"Critical illness cover should be an important consideration for anyone looking to protect their lifestyle and their ability to continue to save. The earlier in your career you take out a policy, the cheaper it is and you can protect your most important years in terms of savings capacity."