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Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities say it is for the community to decide 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 isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion 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 less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.