A distressed mother had to wait more than two weeks before her kitchen ceiling was repaired after it collapsed, just missing her toddler.

Three-quarters of Yvonne Bowen's ceiling fell through on October 15 at her home on Carr Bottom Road while two-year-old daughter Shurinell was playing in the kitchen.

Bradford Community Housing Trust admitted today it should have treated the damage with more urgency and carried out the work within seven days. But it took until October 28 before workmen first attended at Miss Bowen's home.

The angry mother said the ceiling should have been dealt with on the same day as an emergency, as it could have collapsed even further.

Miss Bowen, 28, said she had reported a serious bathroom leak to the housing association several times, first on August 17.

A month before the kitchen ceiling collapsed, the bath had been sealed by the housing association, but Miss Bowen said that made the problem even worse. She said: "I was standing in the stairway when a big piece of wood fell down from the ceiling. I was terrified and screamed for my daughter. They could have prevented it from happening. It could have killed someone."

The T&A reported last month that BCHT was failing to meet its own targets for repairs, with only 48 per cent of all routine repairs completed within 30 days - well below its target of 65 per cent - and 86 per cent of emergency repairs completed within 24 hours, against a target of 95 per cent.

Zabair Rasul, head of operations for South Bradford Community Housing Trust, said: "We must apologise to Miss Bowen for the problems she's having. We have carried out some repairs to the bathroom and the kitchen ceiling but these haven't got to the root of the problem. We'll be visiting her immediately to resolve this."