This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Soldiers are living in barracks which are not fit for animals, a Tory MP has claimed after a leaked report revealed concerns about fire safety.

Defence Safety Authority inspectors found that financial cuts had led to an “unacceptable degradation” of barracks, the document said.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said all its buildings met fire regulations and £4bn was being invested on modernising sites across the country.

But the Tory MP Johnny Mercer, a former army officer and a member of the Commons defence committee, told the Sun, which obtained the document: “Animals would not be housed in such dangerous conditions. It is disgraceful how ministers talk up our armed forces at every opportunity, and yet, away from the spotlight, ask our most loyal public servants to endure totally unacceptable and lethal living environments.”

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The DSA’s director-general, Lt Gen Richard Felton, ordered the report after blazes at Aliwal barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire, and Thiepval barracks in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.

The findings in the report on single living accommodation, used by unmarried soldiers, highlighted faulty equipment and “broken or unserviceable infrastructure”.

Although the review has not been released, its findings are referred to in the DSA’s annual report, published in October 2018, which revealed that 373 fires had been reported across properties owned by the army, navy or air force in 2017-18.

It noted “the apparent disinvestment or lack of priority afforded to fire safety across our infrastructure is being mirrored in the ambivalence of the very people it is there to protect”.

The likelihood of a fire resulting in “significant loss of life, loss of capability and damage to the MoD’s reputation will remain high” unless those “major weaknesses” are addressed.

An MoD spokesman said: “All occupied buildings owned by the MoD meet national building and fire regulations and we regularly inspect our sites to ensure they meet safety standards.

“We are making improvements to fire safety across our sites, including bolstering our resources for fire assurance.”