Church officials have confirmed that Mr and Mrs Philpott will not be attending the service, which is to take place on Friday in Derby.

In a statement issued to local media, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham said the funeral service would be followed by burials at Derby’s Nottingham Road Cemetery.

Father Alan Burbidge, the family priest who will be conducting the service, said the funeral will take place at St Mary’s Catholic Church at 11am.

"The family have chosen that church as a venue because they are Catholic children and they wanted a full Requiem Mass in a Catholic church," he added.

The Prison Service has not confirmed whether Mr and Mrs Philpott applied for leave to attend the funeral but said a risk assessment would be carried out if an application was made.

A spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on the movements of individual prisoners.

"Prisoners can apply for escorted visits to attend the funeral of a close relative, but it will always be subject to a strict risk assessment."