Undertaker offers rent-a-casket scheme

The undertaker who introduced cardboard coffins to Ireland has now come up with a new plan for saving costs at funerals - rented caskets.

The coffin hire concept has been advanced by undertaking firm Rom Massey, which says it can save bereaved families more than £2,000.

Company spokesman Keith Massey said: "It only applies to cremations at the moment, but the idea is a very simple one.

"The deceased person is in a basic box costing about £120, but that is placed inside an outer solid oak casket, which looks very well.

"The expensive casket is then removed in private to be kept for future use and only the plywood, chipboard or MDF coffin is burned.

"We estimate the outer casket can be used about 20 times before it is sold on at a low price."

So far only one crematorium has given the rent-a-casket plan its blessing, but Mr Massey said he hoped that others would follow.

The company is planning to advertise its latest service through leaflet drop at homes throughout Dublin.

The firm did the same thing when it introduced cardboard coffins some time ago.

Mr Massey said: "We distributed 200,000 leaflets then and had just 50 complaints. We can accept that - we have to advertise."