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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of 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’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

In her view, 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 needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires productive community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.