Scandal of rats and caved-in ceilings at decrepit UK barracks
TROOPS at one of Britain’s biggest barracks are sleeping under tarpaulin sheets and soldiers at a second base have been besieged by a plague of rats.
The squalid conditions exist at Tidworth Garrison in Wiltshire and St David’s Barracks in Oxfordshire. At Tidworth, where conditions have been likened to ‘a disaster zone in a Third World country’, up to a dozen soldiers on guard duty have spent weeks under plastic since the collapse of ceilings in their accommodation block.
Despite requests to senior officers, repairs to the ceilings that collapsed following heavy rain in July have yet to begin.
On its website, Tidworth’s commander Lieutenant Colonel James Balls boasts that ‘the garrison has achieved excellence amongst the Army’s garrisons and stations’.
Large areas of St David’s Barracks, including the kitchens, have been ruled out of bounds as a result of the rat infestation. It is believed that hundreds of rodents were driven above ground by recent construction work near the base of the Royal Logistics Corps in Bicester.
Soldiers have been ordered to keep doors and windows shut to prevent rats scuttling into their bedrooms, and all the bars and shops on the site have been closed.
Despite the vermin invasion, troops have retained a sense of humour, with some posting witty photographs on social media, including one of a man wearing a rat costume and chef’s hat.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that troops at Tidworth Garrison, which will eventually be home to about a third of the Army, were sleeping beneath tarpaulin, but said they had been offered alternative accommodation.
It said work had started to remove the rats at St David’s and that soldiers were getting free meals as a goodwill gesture.
The standard of accommodation provided to troops and their families has long been the subject of concern, with thousands of military properties graded as ‘poor’.
The collapse in January this year of the huge Government contractor Carillion, which was responsible for the upkeep of military estates, including housing for troops, deepened those concerns. Amey, another private firm that took over much of Carillion’s work with the military, says it will improve services.
But one di s gruntled s ol di er said: ‘Looking at the state of where the guard soldiers are living at Tidworth, you’d think the base was in the Third World and had been struck by a hurricane.
‘There are so many rats at Bicester, it’s unbelievable. The cookhouse is condemned.’
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘ Repairs will begin next week on the cabin for guardroom staff at Tidworth. I t is expected to take three weeks to remove the rat infestation. Meals are being provided at another site as a safety precaution.’