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Families of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections 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 far earlier. “I think 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 neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, 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 people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

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

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.

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

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

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

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.