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Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat state that indecision on how best to address the issue is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now 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 encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

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

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb 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 critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.