Armed Forces personnel and families coped with 1,000 sewage leaks in military housing in a year, figures reveal

Armed Forces personnel and their families reported more than 1,000 sewage leaks in their military accommodation last year, a freedom of information request has revealed.

There were a total of 1,186 reports of sewage issues in Ministry of Defence property over the last 12 months, according to the figures, which included reports of the backing up of toilets and kitchen sinks, blocked sewage and foul water drains.

The Liberal Democrats obtained the figures via a freedom of information request as the party highlighted the long-standing issues with maintenance that have dogged service family accommodation, while a 2021 report by the Public Accounts Committee detailed the neglect of Single Living Accommodation for military personnel.

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Former Army major Richard Foord, the Lib Dems' defence spokesperson, said it was "shameful" that Armed Forces personnel were having to live in homes plagued with sewage issues.

"Having served with soldiers who are affected, I know just how important it is that we value them properly and treat them with respect, instead of simply assuming that they will put up with it, as this Government seems to.  

"Providing a decent home should be the bare minimum, yet the Conservatives continue to place our service personnel and their families in accommodation which is too often totally inadequate."

The Ministry of Defence has about 48,000 Service Family Accommodation properties in the UK.

The number of leaks refers to internal and external issues with both sewage and foul water, including minor leaks and partial blockages, over a 12-month period.

It is understood that some of the problems were not necessarily caused by faulty infrastructure but could also be the result of foreign object blockages such as baby wipes.

The report followed an announcement by the MOD in which it promised the biggest change to Armed Forces housing in a generation.

Among several changes being made to the allocation of military housing under the New Accommodation Offer, service family accommodation will be distributed based on the size of a family rather than rank.

Military personnel have previously voiced their concerns about the state of their accommodation on social media.

The situation with military families' accommodation was said to be "unacceptable" and a priority, according to Ben Wallace in December last year, before he stood down as defence secretary.

In July, the Defence Command Paper Refresh (DCP23) revealed that £400m would be spent on modernising accommodation. The investment will focus on damp and mould mitigation and prevention across thousands of homes.

An MOD spokesperson said: "We take the quality of our accommodation very seriously and we are investing £400m to improve military housing and ensure Service Families have the standard of accommodation they rightly deserve.  

"Many reports of sewage issues are minor leaks and partial blockages, which are resolved quickly by our contractors. Incidents are prioritised on the severity of the issue and whether other facilities are available for personnel and their families."