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Families whose relatives laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council 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 situation details a series of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Officials maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear 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 Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support 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 unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to find the right answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.