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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

The council have identified three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a series of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their last home, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

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

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as mementos and go plundering graves looking for valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

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 needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

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

Some are calling for more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.