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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being consumed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered 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. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for valuables. That is completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while serving abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is premature 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.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

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

Some want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need productive local conversations to find the right solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.