BARROW is the cheapest place to die in the North West, new figures have shown. 

New research by Royal London – the UK’s largest mutual life, pension and investment company – reveals the cost of an average, basic funeral in the North West is £3,651. 

The study reveals that a cremation in Barrow would cost £3,350 while a burial would cost £3,390. For people living in the west of the county in Whitehaven, an average funeral would cost £3,810 for a burial or £3,406 for a cremation. 

Simon Cox, a funeral cost expert at Royal London, said: "A loved one’s funeral can be expensive - a major (and sometimes unexpected) outlay, costing thousands of pounds. 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’s National Funeral Cost Index 2015 – an annual study of funeral costs – reveals how prices across the UK have risen almost as rapidly as house prices since 1980. 

Mr Cox, said: "Our study shows people are striving to meet funeral price hikes, which they have little control over. Given the stressful situation, shopping around for a funeral is often not an option. Instead people are coping by cutting back on non-essentials if possible, and reconsidering how loved ones are buried." 

Over the past year, the cost of an average UK funeral has increased by 3.9 per cent. 

The average funeral is now £3,702 - up £140 from £3,562 in 2014. 

Costs continue to be a postcode lottery, and UK funerals range from £2,976 for a cremation in Greenock, to £7,216 for a burial in Beckenham, Kent - a difference of £4,240. Royal London says to cope with rising costs people are cutting-back when it comes to paying for essential items such as coffins, and optional elements such as flowers. 

Mr Cox, added: "The UK funeral system still displays fundamental failings, which we reported last year. Vulnerable bereaved people are taking on increased debt; and we predict this problem will worsen if steps are not taken to tackle the many, persistent causes driving up the cost of funerals.” 

To be buried in Chester it would cost £4,117 while a cremation would £3,279. 

The most expensive places for a burial are Eccles and Salford in Manchester, where a burial would cost £4,415 while a cremation would cost £3,369.