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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 unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others contend the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.