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Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to handle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some are calling for more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the choices. “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 find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.