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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion say that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Danger to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the situation sets out a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

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

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“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. Individuals 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 happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important place to go.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the time for relocation is drawing near.

“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 everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with residents.”

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

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to discover the right answers for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.