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Loved ones of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Churchyards

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

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

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

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of agreement over when and how to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

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

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to decide the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.