A thatcher has come up with an environmentally friendly way of building coffins out of straw - and has even made one for himself, writes Jess Chaffey.

Brian Whitemore said he used to make costly coffins as an apprentice – but with soaring costs he wanted to find a cheaper alternative.

Brian now believes his idea of using wheat straw is so perfect for keeping the costs down, he has one stored away for when his time comes.

He has already made seven for people to be buried in locally and expects demand to grow.

He said: "I decided to make a coffin for myself and put it in the garage roof.

“I have made seven so far for people in and around Taunton.

“Taunton Funeral Services organised a funeral with one of my coffins last weekend.

“It isn’t hard work to make the coffins, it is just time consuming.

“I have to take off the leaf, the ears and then fit all the straw together.

“It is quite a nice thing to do, and I do enjoy making them.”

Brian, of West Bagborough near Taunton, Somerset, makes coffins at various different lengths – varying from 5ft 9inches to 6ft 5inches.

His designs come in the shadow of industry leaders recently warning the cost of coffins are set to go up due to an increase in material costs.

They say the cost of chipboard, the most common material used, had gone up by 40 per cent.

One of the largest coffin-makers in the country FE Harris, said the price of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) "doubled overnight."