EXCLUSIVE – Shocking video shows moment water pours through ceilings of trainee Royal Marines housing block – raising further questions about standards of troops’ accommodation
- The recruits’ personal belongings were seen floating along the block’s corridors
- The flooding caused by a burst pipe came days after a power cut at the base
A shocking video has emerged of water pouring through the ceilings of a housing block for trainee Royal Marines, raising further questions about standards of troops’ accommodation.
The recruits’ personal belongings are seen floating along the corridors of B Block at the Commando Training Centre in the footage exclusively obtained by the Mail.
The deluge of water caused by a burst pipe in the Marines’ block affected around 80 recruits from 349 and 350 Troops, who are currently undergoing an exhaustive 36-week training programme at the base in Lympstone, Devon, in a bid to qualify as Royal Marines and earn their green berets.
The damage was recorded by civilian contractors who expressed their disbelief at last month’s deluge.
A military source joked that the burst pipe and the subsequent flood was an introduction to life as amphibious infantry – which is the speciality of the Royal Marines.
He said: ‘Welcome to the Marines, you’re going to get your feet wet, a lot. But seriously, you expect this on Dartmoor, not in the accommodation on camp.
‘B Block has been decimated and a lot of the recruits’ personal items have been destroyed. They will have to be reimbursed for whatever they’ve lost.
‘It is a bad look for us but probably a useful introduction to military life. We have to expect the unexpected and respond accordingly.’
The August flooding came days after a power cut at the base. Back-up generators were used to maintain medical facilities.
The Commando Training Centre, also known as CTCRM, is the principal training centre for the Royal Marines.
The staff there select all Royal Marines officers, recruits and reservists. Additional training for more experienced personnel also takes place there.
The recruits’ personal belongings are seen floating along the corridors of B Block at the Commando Training Centre
The deluge of water caused by a burst pipe in the Marines’ block affected troops, who are currently undergoing an exhaustive 36-week training programme
The August flooding came days after a power cut at the base. Back-up generators were used to maintain medical facilities
On average, 1,300 recruits, 2,000 potential recruits and 400 potential officers attend training courses at CTCRM every year.
The base was opened in 1940. The buildings are the responsibility of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).
The CTCRM site is highly congested and there are at least eight Marine recruits in each dormitory. There are also communal bathrooms and kitchenettes.
Many of the older buildings at the base are dilapidated. More modern accommodation for recruits is under construction.
Earlier this year it emerged that service personnel, their partners and their children were living in mould and rodent-infested houses.
Graphic photos taken inside Wellington Barracks, London, showed piles of litter, blocked, filthy toilets and leaky appliances at the home to five of the Army’s most high-profile regiments: The Coldstream, Grenadier, Irish, Scots, and Welsh Guards.
The Ministry of Defence said: ‘We are committed to ensuring safe and proper living conditions for our personnel and take any issues that arise very seriously.
‘Both issues have been rectified and there was no impact on training.’
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