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Families of people buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Officials 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 intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

“I fear 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 Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while serving abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.