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Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Churchyards

The council 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 coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference 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.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report 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 under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the right answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.