Two-year-old hospitalised due to damp and mouldy military home, service family say
A senior military official has promised to personally take up the case of a two-year-old girl who needed to be treated in hospital after becoming ill, allegedly due to damp and mould at her military home.
An anonymous post published on the popular @MilitaryBanter (Fill Your Boots) site explained how the girl's family, who were living in Service Families Accommodation, said she experienced unexplained breathing issues, resulting in an emergency ambulance being called to their property.
The family were aware of the mould before the incident happened and had reported it, but had to wait seven weeks for the property to be inspected and all they were given in the interim was mould spray.
It was while they were waiting for the findings of the inspection report that they said their daughter became ill.
The family said their toddler began coughing and vomiting, becoming "unresponsive, floppy and blue".
She was immediately sent to hospital where she was placed on a drip for 24 hours.
The family said their daughter was subsequently diagnosed with unexplained gastroenteritis and hypoglycaemia – which they later discovered can be caused by being exposed to mycotoxins present with damp and mould.
They said they were a "broken family" who were now living in temporary accommodation after their unit welfare officer had to step in.
All the family now want is "justice and [to] find who is accountable for what could have been the death of our daughter".
Vice Admiral Phil Hally, Chief of Defence People at the Ministry of Defence responded to the post on social media site X to say he would "personally take up this case" with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "The details of this case are urgently being looked into and we are committed to the welfare of service personnel and their families, with the Defence Secretary making 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 3,000 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."
The news comes after dozens of forces families resorted to shaming the DIO and private contractors on social media to get them to carry out the necessary repairs to their homes.
Elsewhere, the wife of a serving sailor is furious after her ceiling collapsed, causing what she says was an estimated £10,000 worth of damage to their personal belongings.
Join Our Newsletter
