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Loved ones whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three church graveyards 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 issue sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry 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.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered 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. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.