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Families whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

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

“At the moment 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 sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by 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 look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study 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 coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care 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 residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the right answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.