SAC0036
Written evidence submitted by Mr Seth Clowes
Service accommodation
RAF Odiham
In my service accommodation, the basic facilities are always temperamental. The main issue arises within the Kitchen and the bathroom facilities. The main issue we are having now is the showers, lighting and plumbing. In the downstairs bathroom, there is a constant leak coming from the sealant in the shower. After multiple reports of this leakage, it still has not been attended to. Our block custodians are aware of these issues, and they are sent to Vinci the contractor on base. It has been at least 3 months with this leakage, and it has not been completed, or at least done properly. Someone was sent out to sort this, and it was fine for about a day until it started leaking again. This leak isn’t a small one as it floods the whole bathroom floor and, in some cases, leaks out into the lobby, causing the carpet to get wet and smelly. The issue with this is that it is completely unsanitary to go into, leaving the smell of stagnant water occasionally.
Another issue regarding the bathrooms is that the upstairs 3 showers are U/S as somewhere it is leaking through the floor and straight into the downstairs bathroom lights. At one time there was a pool of water in the light fitting directly above the toilet, dripping down onto the seat and leaving a great electrical hazard, which then unfolded into the downstairs bathroom not having any lighting at all, including the emergency light.
On the note of lighting, a few weeks ago my room and the kitchen/ washing area had no lights at all, causing a great Inconvenience when it came to cooking at evening/night time and the same for in my room, darkness for the morning and evening time, requiring me to use the torch on my phone which is not ideal at all.
Overall, the main issue is not because of the block itself, but the poor maintenance from the contractors, with them taking far too long to get anything done, or when it is done it is not to a satisfactory standard.
Personally, I think that the contractor needs to up their standards and be held to account for unacceptable job standards.
23 October 2023