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Loved ones of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the situation sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard 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 under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen 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 burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good local conversations to find the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.