It’s not just food families are struggling to pay for.

Now a final farewell is also becoming a luxury for many who are unable to meet the growing costs of laying a loved one to rest.

The cost of a funeral has risen to an average of nearly £4,000 in the south east, latest research reveals, an 87% increase over the last ten years.

That compares to just £395 spent by the council for a pauper’s burial in Maidstone.

The findings resonate with Maidstone funeral director Matthew Highsted, who is general manager of Family Funeral Service at Marlborough Parade, a family company that also has offices in Bearsted.

“Yes, prices have been going up in the south east,” he says. “But because we’re an independent our average is about £3,400.

"Some customers do unfortunately find it difficult to pay the full bill all at once, so depending on what benefits they receive, they can get government aid up to £1,400.

“It partly meets the debt, and then they obtain a loan and in some cases we have agreed to receive payments in instalments for the remaining sum."

Funeral directors say the reason behind the increasing cost is often down to third party charges such as council burial plots, death certificates, crematoria and the cost of clergy or ministers.

John Weir, of John Weir Funeral Directors in Medway, said: "About two thirds of the total costs of a funeral goes to third parties, and the funeral director has no control over these costs."

"When you are buying a plot from the council you are not just buying that plot. For that grave there are a number of elements you are paying for. You might want an exclusive right to bury your family in that plot for 30, 50 or 90 years. You also have to pay the council to dig the grave."

From the admin and paperwork to the ceremony, funeral directors will on average spend 43 hours organising each funeral.

To take pressure off grieving families, funeral directors are required to make their prices as transparent as possible, presenting people with a menu of options, from the simplest to the most elaborate.

Mr Weir said: “We are often dealing with people at their lowest ebb. People say to me 'I suppose you deal mainly with old people' but that's not the case. It's across the board. We see some real human tragedy.

"The thing to remember is you haven't got to spend a lot of money to have a simple, dignified funeral."

In addition to rising funeral costs, the research carried out by Sunlife, which sells pre-paid funeral plans, says the total cost of dying, including everything from headstones and flowers to solicitors' fees, has risen by 10.6% in the last year alone - seven times the rise in inflation.

Maidstone funeral director Jo Loveridge, of Albany Funerals in Loose Road, says the industry needs to react positively to the increasing costs.

She said: “It’s not rocket science. The industry needs to adapt in the way they handle traditional funerals.

“For example, we can offer a direct cremation, which reduces costs like limousines needed.

“Money can also be saved by using more unpopular time slots, like a 9am or 9.30am start, or a late one at about 3.30pm to 4pm - although that would mean leaving the crematorium in the dark when its winter.”

Sunlife surveyed 1,504 adults and interviewed 118 funeral directors across the UK.

The average funding shortfall is considered to be £2,371.

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