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Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

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

A newly published study on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry 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,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb 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 stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.