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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the situation sets out a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

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

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

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

Several families want more coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “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 accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.