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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“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.”

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while serving abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

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

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Different voices contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled 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 loss of hallowed earth.