A PORTISHEAD funeral director is warning people to seek advice before purchasing funeral plans from cold callers or mail shots.

This follows instances where grieving families in the town have bought such plans and been left deeply disappointed.

Matthew Aldridge, Funeral director of F H Halliday & Son, said: “I am getting very concerned about people replying to doorstep sellers and mail shots about funeral plans.

“I have recently come across three different grieving families in the town who have been extremely distressed to find the funeral plans they had purchased were locked into certain companies and did not allow them to use their chosen local funeral director.”

One of the families told Mr Aldridge they had bought their funeral plan from someone who called at their home.

He added: “This is not a subject to be discussing on the doorstep with a complete stranger. It should be something discussed with family, or at least given plenty of time to consider.”