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Families of people laid to rest in graves at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They 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 be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents 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,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires productive local conversations to find the right answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.