Watford has been ranked as the most expensive place to hold a funeral in the UK, according to a study.
Mourners in the Hertfordshire town are paying 37 per cent more to cover the costs of burying a loved one compared to the national average.
Funeral comparison website Beyond said undertakers were "making a killing" in Watford and charging an average of £5,814 - £60 more than a typical ceremony in London.
London was the second most expensive place for funerals, charging an average of £5,749 and Redhill was in third place, charging £5,352, according to the figures.
It said in a statement that came with the findings: "The ‘Watford Gap’ is back and this time it’s because funeral directors seeking to make a killing are charging 37 per cent more than the UK average.
The UK's ten 'most expensive places to die'
Figures from research by comparison site, Beyond
1. Watford (£5,814)
2. London (£5,749)
3. Redhill (£5,352)
4. Guildford (£5,317)
5. Liverpool (£5,157)
6. Newport (£5,149)
7. Brighton (£5,013)
8. Halifax (£4,976)
9. Salisbury (£4,959)
10. Aberdeen (£4,942)
Funeral costs have risen 33 per cent in the last two years, from to £4,241, the company added.
"This spike is being fuelled by price hikes among the big chains, who have raised their already-high fees by more than £500 in two years.
"Meanwhile, independent funeral directors, who represent roughly a third of the market, have actually been found to have dropped their fees over the past 12 months."
James Dunn, co-founder of Beyond, said: “A lack of transparency in the funeral market is what’s fuelling price rises, particularly among the big chains.
“Death means big business, with half a million Brits dying every year, but a disinclination to shop around is resulting in mourners, who are often vulnerable, paying over the odds.”
Co-operative funeral care challenged the figures - stating that 81 per cent of people opt for cremation over a burial, and their figures show the average fees for funeral directors were at £2,810, or £3,900 including third party fees.
Here is the full table of Beyond's figures:
Rank | Town | Overall average cost | Rank | Town | Overall average cost |
1 | Watford | £5,814 | 26 | Nottingham | £4,579 |
2 | London | £5,749 | 27 | Oxford | £4,570 |
3 | Redhill | £5,352 | 28 | Lincoln | £4,538 |
4 | Guildford | £5,317 | 29 | Leicester | £4,506 |
5 | Liverpool | £5,157 | 30 | Gloucester | £4,503 |
6 | Newport | £5,149 | 31 | Cambridge | £4,501 |
7 | Brighton | £5,013 | 32 | Inverness | £4,495 |
8 | Halifax | £4,976 | 33 | Luton | £4,484 |
9 | Salisbury | £4,959 | 34 | Hull | £4,451 |
10 | Aberdeen | £4,942 | 35 | Dorchester | £4,445 |
11 | Durham | £4,854 | 36 | Wigan | £4,440 |
12 | Hemel Hempstead | £4,813 | 37 | Wolverhampton | £4,440 |
13 | Coventry | £4,752 | 38 | Milton Keynes | £4,433 |
14 | Southend-On-Sea | £4,701 | 39 | Huddersfield | £4,419 |
15 | Medway | £4,696 | 40 | Stevenage | £4,413 |
16 | Hereford | £4,695 | 41 | Worcester | £4,395 |
17 | Tonbridge | £4,689 | 42 | Bath | £4,380 |
18 | Northampton | £4,665 | 43 | York | £4,380 |
19 | Slough | £4,660 | 44 | Bournemouth | £4,378 |
20 | Bristol | £4,657 | 45 | Reading | £4,366 |
21 | Canterbury | £4,650 | 46 | Sheffield | £4,361 |
22 | Wakefield | £4,643 | 47 | Dartford | £4,347 |
23 | Enfield | £4,615 | 48 | Doncaster | £4,345 |
24 | Lancaster | £4,597 | 49 | Cleveland | £4,308 |
25 | Perth | £4,586 | 50 | Birmingham | £4,265 |
A spokeswoman added: "Co-op has held prices on its most affordable funeral options for over two years. So again, we would strongly challenge the claims about larger providers being solely behind the rises."