The average cost of a basic funeral has leapt by £140 in the space of a year, a report has found.

Across the UK, the typical cost is now £3,702, a 3.9 per cent increase compared with 2014, when the average cost was £3,562, the insurer Royal London said.

Cremation costs rose to £3,294 from £3,162 while burial costs increased more gradually, to £4,110 from £3,962 in 2014.

“The rising cost of an average UK funeral is very concerning; it’s outstripped inflation considerably for many years –almost in line with house price rises, which as we know continue to rise rapidly as demand outstrips supply,” Royal London funeral cost expert Simon Cox said.

The figures underscore the growing financial challenges of planning a funeral, with a recent YouGov survey of 2,000 people showing that one in 10 struggled to pay.