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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the situation details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

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

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Some are calling for more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.