HERE'S your new home, Madam - a condemned dump with a rubbish tip for a garden!

Shocked single mother-of-two Gillian Pearce, 35, could not believe the state of her intended dream home in Tedder Road, Acomb, when she went to view it.

City of York Council housing officers had allocated her the property without realising it was set to be demolished.

She turned up at the house to discover its windows boarded up.

It was gutted inside, and rubbish was strewn across the back garden.

"When I saw it my jaw just hit the floor - I couldn't believe it," said Gillian, who has been eagerly awaiting a permanent home for herself and her 12-year-old twins for the last ten weeks.

The family is currently living in temporary council accommodation on an Acomb estate following personal difficulties.

"I was having nightmares all over the Easter weekend about it," said Gillian.

"It was certainly not funny at the time, thinking I would have to move in there."

Gillian says she was originally "thrilled" when a housing officer left a message to say a permanent home had at last been found for her family. He said she was invited to view it, but only from the outside as it was still occupied.

But the house turned out to be one of the run-down former Ministry of Defence properties which are being demolished as part of a regeneration scheme on the Tedder Road estate.

"When I found out it was being demolished and I wouldn't have to move in, I nearly fell on the floor with relief," she said.

"Hopefully the council can find me another one soon - that doesn't look like a rat trap!"

A spokeswoman for City of York Council said: "Unfortunately Ms Pearce was mistakenly offered a property in Tedder Road, which will shortly be demolished. The development work is part of a scheme to build 46 new affordable rented homes in partnership with Home Housing Association and developers Harrisons.

"We notified Ms Pearce as soon as we became aware of the error and apologised for the mistake. However, it will not affect her housing status and we will notify her as soon as a suitable property becomes available."

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, April 22, 2004