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Loved ones whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the situation sets out a range of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely 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 idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working abroad. His parent expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent 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. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has left grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for relocation is approaching.

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

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to help support 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 begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. It requires productive local conversations to discover the right answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.