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Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that indecision over how to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the 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. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, 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 problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately 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 begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the right answers for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.