More than 300 military homes refurbished in the south east

The work is part of a national programme to overhaul 1,000 of the UK’s poorest-quality military properties, with homes in the south east receiving major upgrades to improve living standards for service families.

The upgrades are the first steps in a wider plan under the Defence Housing Strategy, which aims to modernise more than 40,000 military homes over the next decade.

John Healey MP, Defence Secretary, said: "Our Armed Forces and their families in South East England sacrifice so much for our country, the least they deserve is safe and decent homes.

"This is just the start of our ambitious work to upgrade tens of thousands of homes across the country, made possible by our landmark deal to bring 36,000 homes back into public ownership and backed by £9 billion investment.

"We are ending the decades of neglect and giving our dedicated Armed Forces families the homes they deserve."

The upgraded homes have received new flooring, boilers, and heating systems, along with roof repairs and replacement bathrooms, kitchens, windows, and doors.

These improvements are part of a £9 billion investment to renew defence housing on a generational scale, enabled by the landmark deal to bring 36,000 military homes back into public ownership.

One family benefiting from the upgrades is Cpl Jack Crean, who has moved into a refurbished property at Bassingbourn Barracks in Cambridgeshire.

Cpl Crean said: "We are really pleased to be in our new home for Christmas.

"Everyone is a lot happier here, especially Charlie.

"It’s nice to live in an up-to-date house, it works so much better for the whole family and if I was to go away, I know that my family is in a clean, modern house."

David Brewer, chief operating officer for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), said the upgrades mark the beginning of a larger effort to improve military housing nationwide.

Mr Brewer said: "I am very proud of the improvements our teams have made to 1,000 of our worst homes.

"This is just the start of a generational renewal which will see 9 out of 10 homes improved.

"We are already seeing the results of the changes we are making through our charter commitments and are determined to do even more to improve the homes and deliver the experience our armed forces deserve."

The refurbishment of the 1,000 worst homes was one of the Consumer Charter commitments made by the Secretary of State to improve the experience of service families.

Other commitments include introducing named housing officers for each family and modernised policies that make it easier to personalise their homes.

The housing improvement programme, known as Raising the Minimum Standards, has exceeded its original targets.

An additional 250 properties are now set to be upgraded, representing a 25 per cent increase on the original goal set just eight months ago.