WOKING Scouts have been caught up in the shambolic 25th World Scout Jamboree, in South Korea, and had to be moved from the campsite in SaeManGeum amid mounting concerns for their wellbeing.

Units from Surrey, which also included Scouts from Guildford, Farnham and Surrey Heath, were relocated to the capital Seoul last Sunday. They were part of a 5,000-strong UK Scout contingent which joined 40,000 Scouts from around the world.

However, with the country gripped by a heatwave and failures of planning beginning to emerge, the decision was taken to move the UK group from the jamboree site, an operation described by Scouts UK as being to “alleviate pressure on the site”.

Explaining the decision, Matt Hyde, the Scouts UK chief executive, said: “We were concerned about sanitation and the cleanliness of the toilets.

“There was unprecedented heat [reportedly hitting 35C] and concerns about the heat relief measures, the medical services and the food, both its amount and the provision for those with dietary requirements.

“We’re disappointed with the organisation and organisers, and we do feel let down.”

However, at least one of the Surrey units now in Seoul, including Sam, Ben and James from Woking, are making the best of their changed circumstances.

They are trying some cooler activities and are still determined to enjoy the experience of a lifetime after initially sleeping in a ballroom with other units.

A message from the unit, sent on Monday, said: “Currently sat in Yungsan Youth Centre eating fried chicken.  

“We were happy to eat on the street but a local man insisted on leading us to a cooler area. They offered us use of the youth centre, toilets, showers or even the swimming pool, just incredible people.”

Many Scouts spend years looking forward to the world jamboree, which takes place every four years. As only Scouts aged 14 to 17 are eligible to apply for the jamboree, participants are selected two years in advance so they can concentrate on fundraising.  

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Hyde said that each British Scout had spent around £3,500 on the trip. 

He added the cost of the relocation to Seoul would cost the UK Scout Association more than £1 million from its reserves, meaning that “we can’t now do things that we wanted to do over the next three to five years”.

The Scouts will travel home as originally planned from Sunday (August 13).