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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the situation details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

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

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

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

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.