CARDBOARD coffins and personalised caskets displayed in a town centre shop window have been causing a stir with shoppers.

Eye-catching coffins, one of which looks like a wine box while another is decked out like a Union Jack, are drawing attention in Consett, County Durham.

The shop, Go As You Please, opened recently and funeral director David Nicholson, said the reaction to the coffins in the window has been mixed.

He said: “There has been lots of good reaction. People have been going past and saying they would like ‘that one’.

“There is also the other side of it where people have recently lost someone and they feel it is a little bit in your face.

“Over time though people will look forward to them being there and look forward to seeing what different type of coffins we will put in the window next.

“We are trying to get people to talk about death, because it is inevitable and it will happen to all of us. If you don’t talk about it and let people know what you want then they don’t really have an idea of what is possible.”

Mr Nicholson, 50, from Belsay, Northumberland, who runs the franchise with his son, Matthew, 21, has worked for the firm for eight years.

The company has other shops in Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Gosforth, Wallsend and Edinburgh, but this is the first branch south of the River Tyne.

Funeral plans with cardboard coffins, direct to cremation or burial are available from £1,500 and can transported in an outer case for the service.

Mr Nicholson said most people go for traditional funerals but the firm offers to tailor-make a service for people who want something different for their loved one.

Individual coffins can be made to reflect someone’s personality with pictures of them with their family printed on.

Jasmine Berryman, from Leadgate, said: “It is good. Everyone has got their own character and personality. Why should they lose that when they die?”

Colleen Ferry, from Esh Winning, said she did not like the coffins on display in the town centre.

She said: “I think they should be in the back out of the way. I think it is a bit insensitive.”

People can also choose unusual transport for the service.

The firm offers conventional hearses and horse drawn carriages as well as a 1960s Bedford Black Maria van or a double decker London bus.

Mr Nicholson said: “It is a bit of a taboo subject and we are trying to have a conversation about it.

“Death isn’t all doom and gloom and more people nowadays have a celebration of someone’s life.”