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Families whose relatives buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds 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 details a range of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer sites. Officials maintain it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

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

Estimates suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “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 Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to find the right answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a belief in life after death, providing a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.