In a heavily populated world of finite resources we have long become accustomed to the idea that the cost of living will inevitably rise. Which makes it all the more depressing to hear that dying has also become an increasingly expensive affair.
Thanks to a lack of competition amongst funeral homes and a series of anti-pollution measures that crematoria have had to install, the average price of a funeral in Britain has risen by 42 per cent over the past five years ? considerably beyond the standard rate of inflation.
The total average cost of saying goodbye to a loved one ? including legal costs, the price of the funeral and additional extras such as flowers ? has now crept up to
