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Families whose relatives laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.