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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves at risk from shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to be their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

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

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new burials 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 early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want additional coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological viewpoint on the physical loss of hallowed earth.