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Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to proceed 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 uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official said 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 journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.