The poor condition of some service housing in Oxfordshire has sadly been a regular feature of these columns, not just in recent times, but over many years.

As part of the move to transfer RAF Lyneham’s services to Brize Norton over the next couple of years, a major redevelopment programme is under way in Carterton — and not before time.

This involves the demolition of 600 properties to make way for about 800 new family homes.

But what should be unqualified good news has left dozens of families caught in a crossfire not of their making.

As many families have been moved out, those left behind on what look like derelict estates, have had to face a surge of crime, with an increase in burglaries and anti-social behaviour, with drug paraphernalia being found on nearby playing fields.

It is simply unacceptable that service personnel working overseas in hostile environments should have the extra worry imposed by knowing that their relatives back home are also facing unnecessary concerns about their security.

There is little doubt that once the decision to demolish the houses had been taken, the correct strategy would have been to move all the families out simultaneously and carry out the demolition as quickly as possible.

And, for their part, the landlord of the MoD properties, Defence Estates, admits that the families should have been moved out weeks ago.

The irony of the situation is that the service personnel are working for the RAF’s biggest base, which manages some of the most complex logistical challenges in the world. They and their families deserve better.