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Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A recent report on the situation details a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment 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 graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.