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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents intended this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled 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 sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature 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 Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

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

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.