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Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that indecision over how to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think 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

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

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

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated 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 happen yet. We need good local conversations to find the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.