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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that indecision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger 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 doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to 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 fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to decide the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.