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Families of people buried in graves at risk from coastal erosion say that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is creating avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A recent report on the situation sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

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

Estimates indicate at least part of one churchyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, including 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 sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

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

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.