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Families whose relatives buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision on how best to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue details a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think 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

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.