Military veterans still displaced 10 months after Storm Ciarán wrecked their homes

  • ITV Channel reporter Emma Volney speaks to a veteran who says the delay "excuses are wearing very thin". Broadcast live on Friday 6 September

Jersey war veterans say they have been let down as many are waiting for their properties to be made livable again following the impact of Storm Ciarán.

Around a dozen former members of the Armed Services are still staying in temporary accommodation, 10 months since the storm swept across the Channel Islands.

Now they have been told their rent is going up, despite being unable to move home.

Storm Ciarán saw wind speeds of up to 186mph in Jersey, devastating properties and prompting a red 'threat to life' alert. Credit: ITV Channel

The storm battered the islands in early November 2023 and saw 121 Jersey residents evacuated from their homes.

Wind speeds hit up to 186mph in Jersey, devastating properties and prompting a red 'threat to life' alert from the island's Met Office.

Experts later confirmed that Jersey was struck by a "significant tornado", believed to be the largest in the British Isles since 1954.

Since then, management groups have been working on fixing residents' homes but The Haig Housing Trust for service personnel and their families are among the last to get it sorted.

Resident Barbara Gilliard lives in one of the areas most affected and is concerned with the lack of progress.

She explains: "What I'm frightened of is if we get more storms like we did last winter, they have patched us up so we will have no rain coming in but all of that is going out the window."

Barbara also says there have been rent increases since the storm which she calls "a bit of kick in the teeth".

Veteran Nigel Smith explains: "Excuses are wearing a little bit thin. I know there are problems with contractors, there will be problems with pricing and insurance, but there are other houses that are similarly damaged and are now repaired."

Veteran Nigel Smith says, "When there is a will, there is a way but there has been not enough basically." Credit: ITV Channel

The Royal British Legion has been providing support for veterans in Jersey who have been displaced.

Keith Sunter from the charity says: "Whatever they have needed we have helped them with, through the Bailiff's Fund and our funding as well."

The Chief Operating Officer of Haig Housing Trust, William Lindsay, has defended the group's commitment to veterans.

He says: "We have a roofer who is now working on the properties which are not habitable and we have always made them a priority.

"We have always said we want to get those individuals back into their homes by the end of October and we think we are still on target for that."

The Trust adds that its rents are still lower than most.

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