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Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

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

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

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

Haunted by the Past

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

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “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 burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual perspective on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.