MP fumes at ‘lethal’ state of barracks

SOLDIERS are living in barracks which are not fit for animals, a Tory MP has claimed after a leaked report revealed concerns about fire safety.

Defence Safety Authority inspectors found that cuts had led to an “unacceptable degradation” of barracks, the document said.

The Ministry of Defence said all its buildings met fire regulations and £4billion was being spent on modernisation.

But Tory MP Johnny Mercer, an ex-Army officer and a member of the Commons defence committee, said: “Animals would not be housed in such dangerous conditions.

“It is disgraceful how ministers talk up our Armed Forces and yetask our most loyal public servants to endure totally unacceptable and lethal living environments.”

DSA director-general Lt Gen Richard Felton ordered the report after barracks blazes at Tidworth, Wiltshire, and Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

Unmarried soldiers’ accommodation had “faulty equipment” and ‘broken or unserviceable infrastructure”, the report said.

The findings, referred to in the DSA’s annual report, published without fanfare in October 2018, revealed 373 fires across the three services in 2017/18.

It noted the likelihood of a fire resulting in “significant loss of life” unless those “major weaknesses” are addressed.