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Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some are calling for additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the appropriate answers for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.