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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

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

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves 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.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment 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 taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with communities.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.