RESIDENTS of Brighton are more than likely to crowdfund to pay for a funeral than anywhere else, a study has found.

According to funeral planners Distinct Cremations, almost half (45 per cent) of people in the city who said they couldn’t afford the cost of funeral would take out a loan or put the cost on a credit card.

While nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they would have to resort to fundraising via a crowdfunding platform - the highest percentage nationwide.

Distinct Cremations managing director Steve Wallis said over half (51.7 per cent) of Brighton residents would need to resort to alternative ways of payment to pay for the funeral of a loved one.

“It’s staggering to think that so many do not have savings in place for an emergency,” he said. “The death of a loved one is hard enough, without financial pressure adding to the grief.

“The fact that so many believe it is their responsibility, yet over four in ten said they have no savings in place for such emergencies, really highlights the disparity between the present and future.

“Crowdfunding is perhaps most well-known for helping small businesses get started, however more and more people have been taking to the platform to fundraise for funerals.

“At the moment, there are more than 5,500 separate fundraisers looking for financial support in the UK alone, which is astonishing.”

According to the data, Brighton residents are also more inclined to have their ashes scattered somewhere they love as opposed to being buried.

The survey found that 40 per cent of people nationwide believe funerals as we know them are “outdated”.

When it comes to where to host a funeral that isn’t a religious site, a cemetery (24 per cent), countryside or riverside location (17 per cent) and a beach (16 per cent) were the top choices.

Surprisingly, just ten per cent of Brightonians said they’d want a service on a beach – the second lowest nationwide after Leeds.

The data also revealed that a quarter of people in Brighton agreed that their ideal funeral should be upbeat or colourful.

At the other end of the scale, nobody said they wanted a traditional funeral with a hearse and a service for family and friends.

Steve said: “There’s no doubt that the last 18 months brought funerals to the forefront of our minds, with many of us unable to have the big funerals that were planned, or indeed faced with planning a funeral out of the blue.

“As such, no longer are many people wanting to follow traditions and have big funerals with services afterwards.

“Instead, people are realising they can have a simple funeral for a fraction of the cost, minimising the impact this has on their friends and family.”