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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision over how to address the issue is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea 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 look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“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 Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, 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 graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. It requires good local conversations to find the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.