Pay-per-view funerals: A crematorium in Southampton is charging mourners unable to get to a loved one's funeral £75 to view it on a password-protected website via a video camera placed discreetly in the chapel.

The company behind the scheme is also offering DVDs of funerals for £50 or audio recordings for £25. The company says the internet service is intended as a way of helping families who may be spread out across the world, but critics have branded the scheme macabre. Some have also accused Southampton city council of trying to make a profit out of the service, but the authority says it will only break even after the cost of running the scheme has been taken into account.