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Families whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that indecision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the situation sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to exhume 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 attained.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

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

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.