Families of servicemen in Moray have slammed their living conditions – claiming their homes are “falling apart”.
Spouses of RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Army Barracks personnel say their Ministry of Defence (MoD) properties in Elgin are “sub-standard”.
One Lossiemouth Road woman said her children had to “live off Pot Noodles” for two months after her kitchen roof – with it only being repaired weeks later when her husband called from Iraq to complain.
Another resident has been battling for 18 months to arrange a slew of repairs to her home.
She has now had it independently inspected, and experts claim the building’s deepening cracks indicate “some form of ground movement”.
The (MoD) said its housing provider, CarillionAmey, had formed “aggressive plans” to improve conditions for forces families.
But one woman, who asked to remain anonymous, last night described her mounting frustration with the situation.
She said: “We moved here in 2015 and it was disgusting, there was grease everywhere and plaster falling from the walls.
“We still had to wait for 18 months to get a reply from CarillionAmey, it’s like they don’t care.”
She added that a monthly rent increase of £60 for the “sub-standard” house had only worsened tensions.
CarillionAmey last night said it was not in charge of rent levels and argued that the property in question was not structurally unsound.
A spokesman added: “We conducted a visit this week and we have agreed a plan of works with the customer.
“A survey conducted recently showed no structural issues, though we will continue to monitor the case closely.”
The woman has now had her home inspected by Forres-based independent surveyor, Mike Kemp.
Mr Kemp found a catalogue of cracks and voids, and “sinking” slabs around drains and steps.
He said: “The evidence leads to the conclusion that there is some form of ground movement, which appears to be centred at the back corner of the property.
“Whilst the building is not in immediate danger of collapse, left unchecked the damage will only worsen.”
The Elgin resident added: “The MoD really needs to look at its housing arrangements, servicemen are coming home to houses that aren’t fit to live in.”
One of her neighbours said: “I was left without a kitchen for two months after the roof fell in last summer.
“There had been a crack in it for a while, which we had complained about but nothing was done.
“My husband went on tour last May, and three weeks later it collapsed.
“That meant we had no lights but CarillionAmey suggested we wouldn’t need them anyway, as it was summer time.
“We got builders in to have a look at it, and they said they wouldn’t touch it because there was asbestos in the roof.
“My husband had to phone CarillionAmey from Iraq, and it was only after we threatened to contact environmental health that something was done.”
A CarillionAmey spokesman insisted that the organisation had worked with the affected families to “put right” their problems.
He said: “We’re proud to provide housing repair services to personnel and their families in Elgin.
“We do not provide homes, control investment in housing or control rent, but we do recognise it is important for us to repair things quickly when they break down.
“When things go wrong, we work closely with families to put things right, which we have done in the cases mentioned, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
An MoD spokesman added: “We recognise the importance of publicly provided accommodation to armed forces personnel and their families, and continue to look at ways we can improve standards.
“CarillionAmey has developed an aggressive plan to improve the quality of service to personnel and their families.”
