Military personnel on RAF base with ‘dangerous leak’ told ‘not a priority’

An RAF serviceman living in military accommodation has described how he is being forced to live in unsafe conditions because the leak coming from his electrics is classed as not being “a priority”.

The unnamed serviceman who is based at RAF Wittering, shared a video on social media which showed water coming through his ceiling, fire alarm and lights.

Staggeringly, after reporting the fault, the serviceman claimed he was informed that the issue was not deemed a priority, leaving him waiting five days before a member of the maintenance team was able to go and take a look.

However, management company Amey contested this saying that the issue was resolved the day after it was raised.

It is not the first time that military accommodation has been criticised for not meeting the needs of those it serves. Earlier this year, Express.co.uk reported that soldiers guarding the Royal Family at Windsor Castle were being forced to live in rat-infested accommodation in between shifts.

RAF Wittering, located in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, is the main operating base and headquarters for the RAF A4 Force and is a major Station for flying training, with over service and civilian personnel working there.

The accommodation at RAF Wittering is maintained by facilities management giant Amey who were awarded the contract to be the National Accommodation Management Services provider in 2022 as part of a £650 million defence infrastructure plan.

The award, which saw four regional contracts awarded worth £506 million for repair and maintenance services to military families, promised to “deliver significant changes in what families can expect” after years of frustration with civilian providers across the armed forces.

At the time, the MOD said that the future infrastructure programme would be very different” from the previous, much-criticised contracts, with incentives for suppliers to reduce disruption for families.

The Defence Command Paper refresh, published in July 2023, pledged a £400 million investment in accommodation over the next two years.

But despite this, internal surveys and videos such as the one coming out of RAF Wittering show there is much to do.

A recent report conducted by the MOD showed that less than half of service personnel were satisfied with the overall standard of accommodation whilst only 19 percent of respondents were satisfied with responses to, and the quality of, maintenance and repair requests.

One respondent to the social media footage said: “Maybe this is what the PM should be fixing up… not spewing tripe about helping the homeless Veterans he says are ‘in every town and city in this country…”

The MOD and Amey said that despite the claims, the issue was dealt with the day after it was reported.

An Amey spokesperson said: ” Amey is proud to serve the armed forces and we take our duty of care to military families extremely seriously. Our team was made aware of an issue at a Service Family Accommodation on RAF Wittering on 22 September.

” We offered support immediately and the matter was resolved on 23 September to the family’s satisfaction. We regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate the family’s patience. The safety and well-being of residents is always our top priority, and we are committed to resolving issues as swiftly as possible.”

When asked about the ongoing frustration with the quality of housing for service personnel and delays in repairs being made, an MOD spokesperson said: ” “This government is committed to tackling the poor state of some service accommodation, we are clear we will renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, including through tackling the poor state of some service accommodation.

“Our contractor is working closely with the family and a follow-up appointment has been booked to repair damage caused by the leak.”