NORTH SHROPSHIRE MP Helen Morgan has called on the Government to hold contractors responsible over the poor state of military accomodation in a north Shropshire RAF base.

The Liberal Democrat has been working to help families of personnel based in RAF Shawbury and she criticised contractors Pinnacle and Amey, who are responsible for looking after the homes of military personnel.

Ms Morgan said she'd heard from families about cold, damp and mould ridden homes and has raised the issue in Parliament and she will be meeting representatives from Pinnacle and Amey.

She has also written to the Ministry of Defence and called on it to be prepared to withdraw the contract if the two contractors fail to improve.

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Ms Morgan said: "We ask our armed forces to put their lives on the line for us.

"They should be able to rely on having a warm, mould-free homes to live in.

“I’ve been shocked to hear about the dire state of so many military homes in North Shropshire and across the country.

“It’s clear that a large percentage of forces accommodation is not up to standard.

"The families I’ve spoken to are all very happy with the support they’re getting from the RAF, but this is being undermined by Pinnacle and Amey.

“Nobody should have to wait a month to have a pipe fixed in the middle of winter.

“These families aren’t asking for much, they’re asking for their homes to be safe, warm and dry.

"The Government must act to upgrade service accommodation and either properly police contractors or take their contracts off them."

Olympic skier, Charlie Guest and her RAF pilot partner were forced to go three weeks without running water and a further 10 days without heating due to repeated delays getting serious repairs.

She said: “What is frustrating is that Pinnacle can see that I have logged complaints and that I have logged jobs to be done, but then there's a complete lack of communication between Amey and Pinnacle or whoever Pinnacle is using to carry out the jobs. 

“The houses just don't retain heat because the build quality is so low and there's really poor insulation.

“So we’re having to use more heating and spend more money on bills in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. 

“This is having a really damaging impact on the community aspect of the married quarters which provides a lifeline and network for families who are constantly having to move around.

“It is one of the biggest drivers of people leaving for civilian life where they know they’ll be better looked after.”

A spokesperson for Pinnacle said: "We are sorry about the issues families are experiencing at RAF Shawbury.

"Pinnacle’s role is to log repairs jobs before passing them to the Ministry of Defence’s maintenance contractor, Amey, to book and undertake the works."

A spokesperson for Amey said: "Amey takes its responsibilities to support Armed Forces service personnel and their families extremely seriously. "Having recently transferred to new owners, our top priority is resolving the issues being experienced by military personnel and their families.

"With our rectification plans we are enhancing our capabilities and improving standards to ensure no-one is left without heating and issues of mould and damp are dealt with swiftly."