Funeral director Dignity said its underlying operating profit jumped 22 per cent to £78.1 million in its first 39 weeks of its financial year.

The company said deaths increased while average incomes remained robust in the period to September 25, compared to 12 months ago.

Dignity, which is the country's only listed funeral parlour, said it expects to beat full-year market forecasts due to the high number of deaths compared to 2014.

It said in the first 39 weeks of the year UK deaths lifted nine per cent to 446,000.