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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being engulfed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to determine 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 isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the coast lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

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

Some want additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, 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 owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was time to consider all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to discover the right answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.