Dozens of British troops in Shropshire have been forced to move from rat-infested barracks into tiny single-occupancy metal containers set up like cheap hotel rooms. According to the Daily Mail, these five-by-two-meter containers contain a bed, bedside table, wardrobe and toilet, but angry soldiers have already compared them to prison cells.

In an interview with the publication, one soldier said that military personnel feel neglected adding: ‘We don’t even put refugees in places like this, so why the hell are we doing this to our military who are risking their lives?’

The deplorable state of the barracks was raised by MP Helen Morgan, who had previously been contacted by a disgruntled serviceman at HQ. He reported that the place was infested with rats and that soldiers were forced to live in overcrowded barracks.

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Morgan, who represents North Shropshire, said around 40 shipping containers had been installed at the dilapidated military base, home to the Royal Irish Regiment and scheduled to close in 2029.

Speaking in Parliament, Morgan, a member of the Liberal Democrat Party, said: ‘One of my constituents, who lives at Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, Shropshire, said that he lives in a rat-infested room and that he is sometimes forced to sharing a room with six other soldiers. 

In response, shipping containers were brought to the base – there were about 40 of them by the end of August – and set up like budget hotel rooms for soldiers to live in. Can the Minister give any assurance that these service members will be provided with suitable accommodation in the near future?’

A source from the military base told the Daily Mail that soldiers were angry at the quality of the new accommodation and that their morale had plummeted. 

‘We are a very, very in-demand division. We carry out complex operations around the world. Coming back here and living in this squalor is just a kick in the teeth. 

The rooms are tiny, you can’t even put a TV in here,’ said one soldier who served twice in Afghanistan.’ Some guys have been serving in the army for 12 years, they’ve been to several hot spots, and now they have to spend all their time in ISO containers that barely fit a bed. It’s disgusting’.

According to him, the regiment’s senior officers have their hands tied because they cannot get funding to improve the base’s equipment. 

‘The Royal Irish Regiment is not to blame for this. ’All the blame lies with the Ministry of Defense,’ he added. The guys saw the residential complex of the parachute regiment in Colchester – they have multi-level parking for cars and new rooms. Now look where we live. We feel like we’re their ugly free brother. Our housing is in disrepair. We feel neglected.’

Defense Minister James Cartlidge apologized for the situation and said he would raise the issue with the Defense Infrastructure Organization (DIO), which maintains the military base. 

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Speaking in parliament, he added: ‘Of course I’m sorry to hear about it. I would really ask Morgan to write to me and give me the details. I will look into this issue with DIO. But I think that, no matter what we talk about, no matter what specific barracks and bases we are talking about, in order for the work to be carried out, we need money.

We have already received them and we have invested an additional £400 million. As stated in the Winter Plan, the quality of housing for thousands of military personnel will improve.’

News of the appalling conditions at Shropshire barracks comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed hundreds of military families were living in poor-quality service housing. Almost 600 homes do not meet the official criteria for decent’ housing – the minimum legal standard that shows they are in a satisfactory condition. BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST BY POSTING OUR STORIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA