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Families of people laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Authorities say it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

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

Projections indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices contend 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 confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites 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.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.