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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

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

Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished 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 romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.