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Families whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some want additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.