Royal Navy chief closes Fareham inadequate accommodation block

The Second Sea Lord Vice Adm Martin Connell said sailors deserved better accommodation

A Royal Navy senior officer has shut down an accommodation block for sailors amid reports of poor conditions.

The Second Sea Lord, Vice Adm Martin Connell, said he had ordered the closure of Vivian Block at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hampshire, after visiting it last week.

He wrote on Twitter: "It's clear we need to do more to give our sailors the accommodation they deserve & expect."

The Royal Navy said the block's future was under review.

In December the service acknowledged a loss of heating and hot water affecting several buildings at the base, the Royal Navy's largest training establishment.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, said she had received numerous complaints from residents at HMS Collingwood and HMS Sultan nearby.

She said: "Nobody should be expected to live in accommodation like this.

An accommodation block at HMS Collingwood has been the subject of many complaints

"There have been incidents of broken heating, of flooding and it's just fully unacceptable."

The Royal Navy said nearly 300 affected personnel would be moved out of Vivian Block over the coming weeks.

It said: "There is no risk to individuals living in the block and the building is safe to occupy."

Defence minister Dr Andrew Murrison previously said the government was investing £1.6bn over the next 10 years to "improve some of the truly awful accommodation" in barracks nationwide.

He told the House of Commons in January: "We are spending money on HMS Collingwood, and I hope that it will be brought up to spec shortly."

Dame Caroline Dinenage has criticised conditions at HMS Collingwood in Parliament

HMS Collingwood is the Royal Navy's largest training establishment