NEW figures show that the cost of a basic cremation in Cornwall are among the highest in the UK and vary across the county.

The cost of a basic cremation in Bodmin is now £999, which places it as the 16th highest in the country.

By contrast a basic cremation in Camborne costs £815 and in Truro it is just £630. The rate has risen in the past year by 5.49% in Bodmin, 6.54% in Camborne and 2.61% in Truro.

The figures have been released by Urns for Ashes and revealed that the most expensive basic cremation is £1,070, while the cheapest is £364. The average cost of a cremation in the UK is £783.

The basic fees only cover the fee for the actual cremation, with figures also provided for the cost of a basic cremation service.

These show that the average cost of a basic cremation service is £3,520 in Bodmin, £3,338 in Camborne and in Truro it is £3,203. The average cost of a cremation service in the UK is £3,312.

Yet while the costs of cremation have increased in Bodmin the number of cremations being carried out as fallen. In 2016 there were 1,631 cremations but the following year there were 1,589 – a reduction of 2.58%.

In Camborne there was a rise, with 1,259 in 2016 and 1,394 in 2017, an increase of 10.72%. And in Truro was a drop from 1,643 to 1,586, down 3.47%.

The figures come after reports earlier this year showed that the cost of burials in Cornwall Council-owned cemeteries had jumped £300 in the past year.

One memorial mason in Camborne claimed the high cost of burials had forced bereaved families into choosing cremation as it was less expensive.

A spokesman for www.urnsforashes.co.uk said: “(The) cremation rate has picked up in the last 10 years, along with the price. This, we believe is in part to the rising cost of funerals. It is becoming a lot more expensive to bury the deceased and this has caused a rise in not just normal cremations, but also cheaper cremation services.”