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Loved ones whose relatives buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, offering a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.