The cost of being buried in Wandsworth has rocketed by more than 53 per cent in the past two years.

A private burial in one of the borough’s five cemeteries will cost a mourning family £4,190, including grave purchase and interment, a dramatic increase since 2011 when the cost was £2,730.

The rise has seen Wandsworth labelled the third most expensive place to die in England according to figures from trade union the GMB, with all of the top 10 most expensive borough’s based in London.

The sharp rise in price is not due to a lack of space after a spokesman for the council confirmed it has 130 years worth of cemetery space.

He said: “The council offers a range of burial services at varying costs, including the option to purchase a family-sized plot, which can be kept for the sole use of four members of that family for 40 years.

“This is the most expensive option, but lower cost choices are also available.

“At present the council has about 130 years worth of cemetery space left so we’ve no plans to secure any new land.”

The council has cited cheaper options, but a public burial is only possible in Morden cemetery, several miles outside Wandsworth in the south of neighbouring Merton.

Wandsworth is also one of the most expensive places to be cremated, coming second in the capital and costing £2,350.

The costs do not end here because Sun Life, the UK largest life insurer, said the average cost of a funeral UK-wide had leapt to £3,284, up from just £1,920 in 2004.

Paul Hayes, GMB London secretary, said: “At a time when the cost of living occupies most people’s concerns it will be a real shock to many living in London that the cost of dying is so high.

“While GMB realises that the public are not queuing up to test the services it remains a fact that few have any idea of how much even a simple burial or cremation actually costs.”

In comparison to the capital, the cheapest place in the UK to be buried was in Rushcliffe, East Midlands, where a burial costs just £87.