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Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards

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

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

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into 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 consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with 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 carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the burial sites were under the care 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 journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.