Who dares wins, but don’t wake the neighbours

By Adrian Addison

CRACK SAS troops are having to "tiptoe" in and out of their new base - to avoid waking the neighbours.

The famous Regiment - motto Who Dares Wins - have curbed helicopter flights in and out of their HQ after a string of complaints about the noise.

The unit moved last year after outgrowing its 60-acre base at Stirling Lines, Hereford. The new 210-acre site - RAF Hereford at nearby Credenhill - has helicopter landing strips which enable troops to get airborne within 20 minutes and on their way to the world's flashpoints.

But the regiment, which last week helped rescue six British soldiers from the Sierra Leone jungle, hadn't banked on its neighbours.

After seven complaints about noisy night-time flights in one week from nearby families, SAS chiefs leapt into action.

They swiftly put an end to early morning and late night flights.

But they are still allowed to fly at any time during emergencies.

One soldier said: "This base was supposed to be a dream come true for us but it hasn't quite worked out like that.

"It would take one hell of an emergency for us to even think about waking the neighbours."

The SAS had hoped to have its own dedicated helicopter squadron and be able to have a huge Hercules transporter take off and land, but this is now thought to be out of the question.

The SAS blame Ministry of Defence dithering for allowing the area around the site, a former training college, to be bought up by developers.

Since the SAS first planned to move there, 122 houses have sprung up around the perimeter fence.

Another trooper added: "The land around the camp should all have been bought up by the MoD to give the place a bit of leeway."

The MoD admitted there had been complaints but insisted it did not affect SAS operations.

A spokesman said: "We had a rush of complaints in one week."

In an earlier bungle, detailed plans of the camp were put on public display at a planning office.

September 17, 2000 | Daily Mirror, The / The Sunday Mirror (London, England). Author/Byline: ADRIAN ADDISON