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Loved ones of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea 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 occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need productive local conversations to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.