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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds 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 situation details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Some are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study 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 graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.