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Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

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

Projections indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared 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 the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot 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.”

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

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to handle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some are calling for additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, 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 up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with communities.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.