DUDLEY and Stourbridge have been named the most expensive places in the West Midlands for a funeral, according to a study.

The average cost of a funeral in the West Midlands is now £3,977 but in Dudley and Stourbridge the average cost is £4,439 - new research by insurance company Royal London has revealed.

Figures compiled as part of Royal London's National Funeral Cost Index say the average cost of a burial in Dudley and Stourbridge is £5,530 and for cremation it costs around £3,348.

In neighbouring Rowley Regis the average cost is £4,160, with the average burial costing £5,146 and cremation - £3,174.

Royal London’s funeral cost expert, Louise Eaton-Terry, said: “High funeral costs in the West Midlands have left many families taking on a mountain of debt, with our research showing a huge increase in the amount being borrowed by the bereaved over the last five years.

"More support needs to be offered to families struggling to pay for funeral costs, and as a result being forced into debt.

"We want the social fund to cover the cost of a basic funeral, as no one should have to struggle to give their loved ones a decent send-off.”

The study shows the average cost of a funeral in the UK is £3,757 - having risen by six per cent, from £3,551 in 2014.

London ranks as the most expensive region in the UK for a funeral, while Northern Ireland is the least expensive region.