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Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents intended this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.