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Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities 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 newly published study on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea 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 happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

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

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

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

Some are calling for additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the right answers for each village.”

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 life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.