Families are opting for cheaper coffins, holding the wake at home and even burying loved ones in the garden to combat the soaring cost of a basic funeral which has now risen to £4,078.

The average cost of burying a loved one rose 4.7 per cent last year and has more than doubled since researchers at SunLife began compiling their annual Cost of Dying report in 2004. Funeral expenses have risen every year since then, leaving many families struggling to pay. The huge rise is more than three and a half times the rise in house prices over the same period, according to the research.

A third of those who have recently organised a funeral said that the cost was more or “a lot more” than they expected, and almost half have actively cut back on certain aspects of the funeral to keep costs down.

One in ten admit there were items or wishes they were either unable to pay for or had to change because they couldn’t afford it.

One in three who chose to make savings, cut back on the cost of a coffin, making it the most common item to economise on.

A quarter cut their flowers budget, though the average spent on flowers still stands at £150, while a further quarter said they held the wake at home to cut out the expense of hiring a venue.

One in five didn’t embalm the body – saving around £105 on average – while 17 per cent did not use a hearse.

Three per cent of families have even decided to keep the body at home until the funeral and 2 per cent buried their loved one on their own private land. The average burial at a cemetery costs £ 1,747, the research found.