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Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

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

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents 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,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

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

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision 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 challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.