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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 unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the situation details a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

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

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the right solutions for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.