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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is creating avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

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

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

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

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

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

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

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

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

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Some want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care 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 journey with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.