'Filthy' home angers RAF couple

The serviceman says he has to put his family first

An RAF engineer who moved from Scotland to St Athan in south Wales wants to leave the forces because of the state of his family's accommodation there.

Aarron Campbell, 22, claims he and his pregnant wife and baby were given "filthy and flea-infested" quarters.

The MOD said the family had been moved immediately but no problems were found following an inspection.

A spokesman said before the family moved down, the house had been redecorated and a new kitchen fitted.

The MoD was "committed to providing the highest standard of accommodation" for service families.

The family said problems began when they relocated from RAF Kinloss in northern Scotland to the maintenance base at RAF St Athan in March.

Mr Campbell's wife Davina, 24, was horrified at the standard of their accommodation at the RAF base in the Vale of Glamorgan and said their six-month-old baby Chloe was bitten all over by fleas.

I love my job and serving my country in the RAF, but I love my wife and family more, and I have to put them first Aarron Campbell

"The MoD sent us to a welfare house while our quarters were fumigated...the place they gave us was disgusting, with ripped carpets, filthy cupboards and kitchen doors hanging off their hinges, " said Mrs Campbell.

The couple were moved but that was not much better, she added.

"I'm expecting our second child in February and I'm not prepared to bring up our family in these conditions."

'Deeply concerned'

"I've told Aarron to choose between me and the RAF - because I can' t live like this."

The serviceman said he had found a civilian job but the MoD had insisted he stayed because of a shortage of skilled manpower.

"I love my job and serving my country in the RAF, but I love my wife and family more, and I have to put them first," said Mr Campbell.

John Smith, the MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, said he had asked the Ministry of Defence to investigate the accommodation at St Athan.

"I am deeply concerned. The problem here appears to be that the property was absolutely filthy and that could not have happened 20 or 30 years ago," he said.

"The entire housing stock of the Ministry of Defence was sold to a Japanese bank some 10 or 12 years ago and what that means is the liaison officer on camp has limited control over the standards of these properties.

"It is going to change at St Athan because with the new technical academy being built - the housing accommodation and just as importantly, the single person accommodation, is going to be transformed."

The MoD said the family had been put up at a hotel for the night as soon as they made a complaint and were then moved to a welfare house. They are now in a second house, with no problems reported.

The couple had also been given £100 from the base welfare fund for a new mattress for their child.

A cleaning team was sent into the original quarters but found no problems with flea infestation, said a spokesman.

Before the family moved to the base, the house had also been redecorated, a new kitchen and fireplace fitted and the carpet was replaced.

In a statement the MoD said it was spending £8bn on accommodation over the next decade.

"We make every effort to ensure that military homes are in an acceptable condition to families on move-in," the statement said.

"In the case of Aircraftsman Campbell, action was taken as soon as issues were reported. Defence Estates, the RAF Chain of Command and the RAF Families Federation are engaging to help the individual and the family. "