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Families of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, including 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. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for valuables. 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’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Some want more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

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

A local official said the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires good local conversations to find the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.