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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

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

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

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

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

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the options. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.