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Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to address the problem is creating unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely 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 carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be 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 disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to find the right solutions 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 spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.