A lack of Government funding for a Croydon army barracks is risking the base’s ability to hold on to recruits, a Conservative peer has claimed.

Earl Attlee has written to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to ask why no extra money has been spent on the barracks in Mitcham Road since the arrival of a new specialist regiment last year, despite hopes of infrastructure upgrades.

The army moved the 150 Recovery Company - a group of reservists trained as mechanics, metalsmiths and armourers who act as the breakdown service of the army - to Croydon from Redhill in December 2014.

Earl Attlee, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) in Iraq, said: "You can understand why they have done it, but unfortunately they are so strapped for cash that they can't do the building works. You have made the move, but not put money in the infrastructure.

"You might attract more technical people there than in the leafy suburb of Redhill.

"It won't so much affect the numbers coming in, but what it will do is adversely affect retention."

The peer, who is the grandson of former Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee, said he had received a tip-off about problems the unit had experienced using a heavy support vehicle at the barracks.

He said: "I'm guessing they can't keep it in the garage."

No one at the barracks could be reached for comment.

The relocation of 150 Company to Croydon was part of the MoD's "Army 2020" vision for encouraging more recruitment, and caused anger in Redhill when it was first announced in 2013.

In his written response to Earl Attlee on October 22, Earl Howe, minister of state for defence, said: "Infrastructure developments related to the relocation of 150 Recovery Company, part of 103 Battalion REME, to the Army Reserve Centre in Croydon have not progressed past the initial assessment phase.

"Therefore, no detailed plans have been developed nor funds allocated. The unit continues to deliver its required outputs including training with heavy recovery vehicles."

A subsequent response acknowledged that "the infrastructure of the Croydon Army Reserve Centre required some improvement".

But Earl Howe insisted the early move was necessary to "realise the wider benefit of an increased recruiting footprint, thus ensuring that 103 Battalion REME could grow in strength and maintain the critical mass necessary for effective training and therefore operational capability".

A MoD spokeswoman said: "150 Recovery Company has been relocated to Croydon to realise the wider benefit of an increased recruiting footprint, thus ensuring that their parent battalion could grow in strength and maintain effective training and their operational capability.

"The development of infrastructure at Croydon is part of the wider Army Reserve infrastructure plan."