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Families of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to proceed.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents fear 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.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

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

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

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

Some want more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

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

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose 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 consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to find the right solutions for each community.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.