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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a series of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen far earlier. “In my view 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 nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Peril

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

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

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

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.