More and more people are planning ahead for their death by looking for ways to cover funeral costs
More and more people are planning ahead for the financial costs of their final days, according to analysis from a funeral plan provider.
According to Golden Charter, the number of sales for pre-paid funeral plans shot up by nearly 25 per cent in 2015.
Collectively across the UK people now hold more than a million pre-paid funeral plans, worth £3.8bn in total, and 88,000 such schemes paid out last year.
"Funeral plans are becoming embedded in the public consciousness," said Ronnie Wayte, chief executive of Golden Charter. "Families appreciate the reduction in associated stress where a loved one has pre-planned and pre-paid for their own funeral.
"Unsurprisingly, independent funeral directors find most enquiries for plans arrive following a family funeral."
However, although plenty of people across the capital may well have pre-paid plans in place, there is the possibility they haven't told their family about them.
Research released by Aviva earlier this year discovered that nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of Londoners feel uncomfortable discussing funeral arrangements, while more than half (53 per cent) felt they should make a list of their financial details to help their family when they're no longer there but had not yet done so.