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Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are 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 decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires productive local conversations to find the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.