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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the situation sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “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 weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to find the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.