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Families of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.