Southend ranks as one of the UK’s most expensive cities to die, with funeral director fees averaging at £1,400, according to new study.

Shepherd’s Friendly, the financial service experts who analysed the costs in 40 cities across the UK, revealed Southend was the eighth most costly place for a direct burial.

In order to conduct the study, Shepherd’s Friendly examined the cost of basic funeral services at five different funeral parlours in each selected city.

The firm then calculated an average for direct burial and direct cremation fees.

It was found that Brighton held the top spot in the list of the most expensive cities for funeral director fees at £1,667, while Liverpool was revealed as the most affordable averaging at £797.

In addition, the research also uncovered key trends in direct cremation expenses.

According to the findings, Belfast is the most expensive city for direct cremation funeral costs, with funeral director fees averaging at £1,848.

Southend faired much better, with average costs coming to £1,283, making it the ninth most affordable city for direct cremations.

This revelation comes as average funeral costs across the UK continue to rise yearly by 4.7 per cent.