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Families of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion state 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 Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation details a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

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

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while serving overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

An absence of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive community discussions to find the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.