🔗 Share this article Relatives' Anguish Regarding Coastal Degradation Endangering Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the final resting places of their loved ones. A Looming Danger to Ancient Graveyards The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations. A recent report on the issue details a series of options, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed. “Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They wanted this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.” Projections indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “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 Past One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard. “You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. That is completely undignified.” “I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.” A Soldier's Grave in Peril Along the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while serving abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be relocated. “It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.” In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an timely resolution must be made when a critical moment has been attained.” Searching for Answers and Clarity An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious. Some are calling for more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Different voices contend the moment for relocation is approaching. “It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.” A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.” He added there was ample time to consider all the choices. “We are talking decades before it starts to be lost.” “There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to find the appropriate solutions for each community.” The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.