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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry 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 Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while serving overseas. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should cease 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 must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is approaching.

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

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.