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Loved ones of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including 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 take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some are calling for additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

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

The prospect of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.