Families are now having to rent out coffins as cost of living crisis hits funerals

Grieving families are now being given the option to rent coffins to save money amid the cost of living crisis.

In response to the rising costs of electricity, fuel and produce, some funeral directors are now offering a rental service for its coffins, which often add up to become the most expensive part of a funeral.

The cheapest wooden coffins currently on offer by Co-op funerals on their website are £450 for traditional oak, cherry or maple, while their most expensive standard coffin – a white rose casket – is £2,650.

Even a cardboard coffin is priced at £450.

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As part of the new rental service, however, mourners will be able to pay for a removable wooden or cardboard box that fits inside a ‘show’ ­casket for a lower cost.

The exterior is used in the service and ­burial, but is later removed, leaving the body to decompose or be cremated in cardboard.

The cost of a rented coffin starts at £250, saving families hundreds of pounds on their overall funeral costs.

The National Association of Funeral Directors has confirmed that a growing number of funeral homes are offering these new rental coffins or casket liners as the cost of living soars.

The Good Funeral Guide / Unsplash

A spokesman said: “There are many ways to keep the cost of a funeral within a budget, while making it special.

“Provided it is clear what is being provided, this is one of several choices available that may assist families.”

The government has faced intense criticism for how it has offered to help Brits cope with the cost of living crisis, which included a £150 council tax rebate and a £200 energy bill discount, something that will then have to be paid back over five annual £40 payments.

And while many experts believe the answer lays in a windfall tax on major energy firms, the government has so far refused to impose such a tax in order to ensure ‘future investments in British energy’.