Two-year-old girl became seriously ill 'because of mouldy military housing', serviceman says
The toddler began coughing and vomiting earlier this month, on her second birthday, becoming "unresponsive, floppy and blue", so her parents took her to hospital where she was placed on a drip for 24 hours.
Monday 19 February 2024 09:45, UK
A serviceman has claimed his baby daughter became seriously ill while living in mouldy military housing, despite the family raising the alarm with defence contractors.
The allegation was posted anonymously online via the well-regarded @MilitaryBanter (Fill Your Boots) social media account that shares posts about military issues.
Vice Admiral Phil Hally, the Ministry of Defence's chief personnel officer, responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, to say he would "personally take up this case with the DIO".
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is responsible for service accommodation, with a contractor called Pinnacle charged with running a call centre, where families report issues, and Amey, a second contractor, responsible for attending homes and carrying out repairs.
Previous complaints about military housing, including mould, rats and broken heating, prompted Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, to say last September that improving service accommodation was one of his priorities.
However, the latest claims indicate there is still much work to do.
On Sunday evening, Alfi Usher, who runs the Fill Your Boots account, told Sky News "it's time those in military accommodation have the same rights and protections [as civilians] against conditions such as long-term mould, damp and housing disrepair".
In his anonymous post, the serviceperson said he and his partner first reported "serious damp and mould" in their property to Pinnacle on 11 November last year, when their daughter was just 21 months old.
"The most affected areas are the kitchen and our vulnerable daughter's bedroom," he wrote.
The family was advised to clean and bleach the areas but the mould kept returning.
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The serviceman claimed it took seven weeks for anyone to come and assess the mould.
During that time, he said his daughter experienced "unexplained breathing issues which resulted in an emergency ambulance being called to the home".
The person who inspected the properly said "extensive work" needed to be done, according to the allegation.
The serviceperson said the case was then referred to Amey and another inspection carried out. But he claimed that he was not made aware of the results of the survey.
He said his daughter became unwell again earlier this month, coughing and vomiting.
The serviceperson said [on] "the morning of 11 February 2024, on her second birthday, we noticed our daughter becoming unresponsive, floppy and blue".
She was taken to hospital and kept on a drip for 24 hours.
The serviceman, in his post, raised concern that exposure to damp and mould may have been a factor in causing his daughter to become sick.
He said he finally acquired a copy of the survey into his property which he claimed confirmed that it was unsafe to use so the family moved into temporary accommodation.
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He wrote: "I am not the type of person to post on social media or be involved with social media but we are desperate to get justice and find who is accountable for what could have been the death of our daughter and also the current housing situation we remain in."
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We are committed to the welfare of service personnel and their families, and the defence secretary has made improving the standard of military accommodation a personal priority.
"That is why we are investing an additional £400m over the next two years to improve military housing that is available, and more than 3000 homes will have had improvements, including damp and mould treatments, by the end of next month."
An Amey spokesperson said: "Over the last 12 months, Amey has been working alongside the DIO and Pinnacle to introduce an improved response to address damp and mould in military housing. We are committed to ensuring defence personnel and their families have the quality living accommodation they deserve.
"With regards to this case, our local teams have been in communication with the family following an original inspection in November 2023. We understand the distress this incident has caused and are continuing to work with the residents, the DIO and other RAMS contractors to ensure the issue is resolved quickly and sufficiently."