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Loved ones of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing 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 limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

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

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

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the appropriate solutions for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the area,” but church representatives also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.