More and more Britons are taking their energy saving aspirations beyond death and opting for a sustainability-inspired green burial, research suggests.

Individuals concerned about the carbon footprint of cremation, or the physical footprint of burial, could instead look to alternative locations nationwide to choose as their final resting place.

The Royal Geographical Society's international conference in London heard on Friday of the growing trend for people to do so.

In 1993, a single green burial site was recorded in Carlisle; but now growth in the south of England has seen the figure rise to more than 200 different locations.

For people who have lived a life to energy saving commitments and other environmental concerns, it is also an opportunity to be laid to rest surrounded by woodland or meadows.

And while planning permission is required in order to bury someone on a piece of land, there are no laws or regulations specifically preventing it.

The society says that it exists to promote "an understanding and informed enjoyment" of the world in which we live.