Soldiers living in rat-infested Army barracks are being forced to sleep in shipping containers, in a move outraged troops have branded a ‘kick in the teeth’.
Dozens of personnel at Clive Barracks near Tern Hill, Shropshire, have been moved into the ‘tiny’ one-man metal containers, which have been ‘kitted out like budget hotel’ rooms.
The cabins, which are about 15ft long by 6ft wide, have a single bed inside, as well as drawers, a wardrobe and a toilet area, but angry squaddies have compared them to ‘prison cells’.
Rangers, Lance Corporals and Corporals are among those thought to be using the rooms, with one soldier telling troops felt ‘neglected’, adding: ‘We don’t do let asylum seekers stay in places like this, so why the hell do we do it to our own troops who risk their lives?’
The woeful accommodation was raised by MP Helen Morgan, who had been contacted by a furious soldier at the ‘squalid’ HQ, which is reportedly plagued by rats and has junior soldiers crammed together in overcrowded rooms.
Mrs Morgan, who represents North Shropshire, said about 40 shipping containers have been set up at the ageing base, which is home to the Royal Irish Regiment and is set to be closed in 2029.
Dozens of troops at Clive Barracks near Tern Hill, Shropshire, have been moved into the metal containers
Pictured is one of the shipping containers where troops have been told to live in, kitted out with a single bed, drawers, a wardrobe and toilet area
Row after row of the huts have reportedly been installed at the base
The base is home to the Royal Irish Regiment (pictured is a file image of soldiers from the unit)
Speaking out in Parliament, Lib Dem MP Mrs Morgan said: ‘A constituent of mine who lives in Clive barracks at Tern Hill in Shropshire has reported that he lives in rat-infested accommodation, sometimes with two to six soldiers living in the same room.
‘As a result, shipping containers have been placed in the grounds – about 40 at the end of August – and kitted out like budget hotel accommodation for those soldiers to live in.
‘Can the minister provide any reassurance that these servicemen will be provided with somewhere appropriate to live in the near future?’
A military whistleblower at the base told troops were outraged at the state of the accommodation, which was causing morale to ‘plummet’.
The soldier, who has completed two tours of Afghanistan but is not being named, said: ‘We’re a very, very busy unit and we perform to high standard across the globe. It’s then a kick in the teeth to come back and to live in squalor. The rooms are tiny, you can’t put up a TV.
‘Some of these lads have been in the army for 12 years, done multiple operational tours and now their having to put their whole life into an ISO container that can barely fit a bed in. It’s disgusting.’
The source claimed senior officers within the regiment had their ‘hands tied’ as they were unable to get the funding to improve the base facilities.
‘This is not the fault of the Royal Irish, this is down to the MoD,’ the insider added.
‘Lads look at the Parachute Regiment accommodation in Colchester – that’s got a multi-storey car park and new rooms and then see what we have here. We feel like we’re the ugly step brother.
‘Our accommodation is in absolute rag (a poor state). We’re feeling like we’re neglected.’
Defence minister James Cartlidge apologised for the situation and insisted he would raise them with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which manages the military base.
Speaking in Parliament, he added: ‘I am obviously sorry to hear about that case. I’d ask her very much to write to me with the details of it. I will look into it with DIO.
‘But I think the key thing is, wherever we’re talking about, whichever specific barracks or base, if we’re going to get on with the works, we need the money there.
Work to install the huts reportedly started in August
About 40 have reportedly been installed at the military establishment in Shropshire
Defence minister James Cartlidge (pictured at the Houses of Parliament in London in 2021) apologised for the situation and insisted he would raise them with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, which manages the military base
The appalling situation was raised by Helen Morgan, (pictured in December 2021 following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election) MP for North Shropshire, who had been contacted by a furious soldier living at the ‘squalid’ military establishment
‘We’ve got that, we put in place the extra £400million, and as set out in the Winter Plan, thousands of Homes Forces personnel will now benefit from that work.’
News of the shoddy military housing comes after The Mail on Sunday exposed how hundreds of military families are living in substandard service houses.
Almost 600 homes do not reach the official criteria for ‘decent’ accommodation – the legal minimum standard which means it is in a reasonable state of repair.
Air Commodore James Savage, the head of Armed Forces accommodation, admitted earlier this year that 8,000 repairs on military homes related to issues such as damp, black mould and heating are yet to be completed and that it would take months to resolve.
Speaking about the latest incident, Mrs Morgan told : ‘Servicemen and women based at Shawbury and Tern Hill make huge sacrifices for their country. They deserve to be treated with the respect they deserve, which means the provision of high-quality accommodation and contractors who keep their promises.
‘The recent cases of rat-infested rooms and soldiers living in shipping containers at Tern Hill are utterly appalling. There needs to be immediate action to sort this situation out and give our troops the respect and dignity they deserve.’
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘There are no outstanding pest control issues at Clive Barracks and any reports are dealt with as quickly as possible.
‘We are committed to ensuring our Service Personnel have the high quality accommodation they rightly deserve.’