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Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

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

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

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop 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 must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

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

Some want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “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.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

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

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.