Families having to step in to help fund funerals

Families are having to step in and fund funerals because people do not leave enough money to cover the cost, research has found.

A survey of 1,100 adults by the Co-op Funeralcare showed that almost one in five were unexpectedly left to cover most of the cost of a funeral, which averages £3,800.

Most used savings of family and friends of the person who has passed away, with one in 20 applying to the Government's Social Fund.

Richard Lancaster, managing director of Co-op Funeralcare, said: "The end of our lives isn't an easy thing to think about and as a result thousands of families are being left with a legacy of financial as well as emotional grief following a loss."

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