'Professional sobbers' who charge £45 to attend strangers' funerals and pretend to mourn 
 
 Trend originated in China and Middle East but has now spread to UK too 
 
 
 
 Essex firm has 20 professionals on its books 
 
 
 
 Grieving relatives worried that their loved ones will not attract enough mourners at their funeral can now bump up the numbers by hiring 'professional sobbers'. 
 
 
 
 A growing number of people are hiring out their services at £45 for a two-hour ceremony - and as well as attending the funeral they will weep and talk to friends of the deceased. 
 
 
 
 The trend started in areas such as the Middle East and China, but the rise of multiculturalism has made it increasingly popular in the UK. 
 
 
 
 Enterprising: A company based in Essex is hiring out professional mourners for £45 a go 
 
 Fake mourners, known as moirologists, are trained actors who specialise in the skill of appearing grief-stricken at public events. 
 
 
 
 Before the funeral services, they are briefed about the life of the deceased so they can talk to other mourners as if they had genuinely known him or her. 
 
 The unusual industry has become so popular that one Essex firm now has 20 staff on its books available for hire. 
 
 Ian Robertson, the founder of Rent a Mourner in Braintree, admits the idea may be unfamiliar to the British, but predicts it will soon catch on. 
 
 Trend: More and more British funerals are now involving professional mourners (file photo) 
 
 'We were actually inspired by the market growth in China,' he said. 'The Middle Eastern way is to provide wailers - crying women - as opposed to the quiet, dignified methods we use. 
 
 
 
 'It is growing in the UK - our bookings are up 50 per cent year on year.' 
 
 
 
 'Our staff will meet with the client beforehand and agree "the story", so our staff will either have known the deceased professionally or socially. They will be informed of the deceased's background, achievements, failures etc., so they can converse with other mourners with confidence.' 
 
 The company says on its website: 'We are typically invited to help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected. This can usually be a popularity issue or being new to an area, or indeed, the country.' 
 
 Origins: 'Professional sobbers' are currently more popular in the Middle East and China (file photo) 
 
 Consumer expert Jasmine Birtles believes multi-cultural Britain is experiencing a 'cultural shift' in the way its mourners say their final farewell. 
 
 
 
 Ms Birtles, the founder of personal finance site MoneyMagpie.com, said: 'Hiring a stranger to weep at a funeral may seem strange, but it's a deep-seated tradition in the East. 
 
 
 
 'It's still a niche market at the moment but demand for professional mourners is increasing year on year as more people from East Asian and Middle Eastern countries move to the UK, bringing their customs with them. 
 
 
 
 'The rise in popularity shows a cultural shift taking place in how we choose to pay our last respects and like with many other cultural imports, it's only a matter of time before it crosses over into mainstream culture.' 
 
 

 Our Services What We Do 
 
 RENT A MOURNER are based in Essex. We are available for funerals and wakes by appointment. We work with agents throughtout the United Kingdom and will supply a co-ordinator in your area to manage your needs. We are typically invited to help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected. This can usually be a popularity issue or being new to an area, or indeed, the country. We have a significant amount of mourners to call upon when the need arises. 

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 Worried that not enough people will show up your funeral? Let Rent-A-Mourner help. The ingenious and aptly-named company allows concerned parties to pay for professional grievers to fill a funeral home and make sure that the deceased gets a fitting and extremely well-attended sendoff. 
 
 For approximately $68 a head, the U.K.-based business will send “professional, polite, well dressed individuals” to attend your funeral or wake, and will weep, wail and generally appear sad about the passing of whatever person happens to be filling the casket for about two hours. Rent-A-Mourner promises that your paid grievers will be “discreet” and “professional,” according to its website. 
 
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 To ensure that the hired help fit in with non-paid mourners, before the funeral the actors are briefed about the life of the deceased. This allows them to mix and mingle with other funeral-goers as if they had been friends, according to the company. “We will take your guidance on how you would like us to integrate and mix with your other guests,” the website states. Who uses these services? According the firm’s website, “We are typically invited to help increase visitors to funerals where there may be a low turnout expected” — often due to the euphemistic “popularity issue” or the more pragmatic “being new to an area.” While the practice may seem crass to some, in other parts of the world it is standard practice, including some African countries, China and the Middle East, where professional mourners frequently attend funerals. 
 
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– You may be less than popular, but there's no need to appear uncool in death: For about $68 a head, a British company called Rent A Mourner will send "professional, polite, well dressed individuals” to your funeral or wake, Time reports. The industry is already well-established in China and the Middle East, says Ian Robertson, owner of the Essex-based business, but the trend has spread as Britain becomes increasingly multicultural: "We were actually inspired by the market growth in China," he tells the Daily Mail. "The Middle Eastern way is to provide wailers—crying women—as opposed to the quiet, dignified methods we use." Rent A Mourner's founder says bookings are up 50% this year and he now employs 20 "moirologists"—or professional mourners. The actors study up on the life of the deceased before the event so they can mingle and chat with other grievers at the event. "Our staff will meet with the client beforehand and agree (on) 'the story,' so our staff will either have known the deceased professionally or socially," he says. "They will be informed of the deceased's background, achievements, failures etc., so they can converse with other mourners with confidence."