LONDON - The costs of burying the dead have soared by more than 60 percent over the last five years, according to a survey commissioned by insurance firm American Life. The 2006 Survey of Funeral Costs quizzed more than a 100 funeral directors and found that a shortage of burial places and the increasingly extravagant coffins have pushed the cost of simple burial up by £1,250 over the last five years.
An average burial currently costs £3,307, up from the £2,048 in 2000. A burial in the capital's Southgate area cost as much as £6,140, while the cheapest burial was in Manchester at £1,797. Even cremation costs have soared by more than 61 percent to £1,954 in the same period. The most expensive cremation was found to be in Luton at £3,200, while the cheapest was in Ipswich for £1,371.
It was found that seven out of the ten funeral directors surveyed did not include the cost of a grave in their estimates, while one in three did not provide the cost of the cremation in their estimates. People should find out what exactly comes under a funeral package, said Paul Dwyer, who co-ordinated the survey. "It is a purchase most people make under distressed circumstances and so they are less concerned about comparing prices as they might well be in the normal run of life," he said.
"We are encouraging people to question funeral directors to get a more accurate indication of what the finalized bill will be, which at the moment is often not the case." He stressed that people who are responsible for organizing the funeral; of their beloved ones should choose a coffin that was within their price range, "The coffin is an area of controllable cost. If you want to go to town you can, but if you want something that will do the job with dignity then it is an area where you can save money," he observed. The survey found that the costs of the coffin varied from £300 for a simple one to £2,850 for a customized one.
Posted
on : Fri, 20 Jan 2006 02:35 GMT | General News
By : Anne Philips
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