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Families whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the issue details a series of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents 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 remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot 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 place to go.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

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

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.