HOUSING association managers launched an urgent investigation today after a young mum told how a two-foot piece of mortar fell from the roof of her nearly-new rented York home.

Home Housing Association sent surveyors to inspect and photograph Sally Yarrow's house in Holgate after receiving reports of the damage.

Sally, 26, said she was terrified in case more masonry fell, and called on her landlords to act quickly.

The incident happened yesterday afternoon. Sally said mortar damaged her car bonnet in several places as it shattered on impact.

Her three-year-old daughter, Amelia, and her niece Sophie, two, were in the house at the time.

"They could have been outside when it happened," she said.

"I was just washing up and suddenly heard a bang.

"Some mortar had fallen off the roof and on to the car and dinted it."

Sally has lived at Peppercorn Close, Holgate Park, since July 2000, and was the first tenant to move into the house after it was built. She said she had tried to contact Home Housing Association's emergency number but had had no luck.

David Marriott, maintenance manager for Home Housing, said today that the callout difficulties arose because the team monitoring messages was unable to make out the address on the message left by Sally.

They had traced the caller's telephone number and were trying to identify the property involved, but Sally had by that time made contact on another number.

He said: "It sounds as though a piece of sand and cement mortar from the top of the roof tiles has blown loose, but we don't know until we investigate.

"We haven't had any other problems in that development."

Updated: 16:48 Thursday, May 23, 2002