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Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the situation sets out a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her child's grave 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 important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.