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Families of people buried in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that indecision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and reburying them in safer sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. They intended this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Projections 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 under 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. 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’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

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

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.”

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

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, providing a spiritual viewpoint on the physical loss of sacred ground.