CONCERN is mounting for missing York woman Caroline Barry who is known to be depressed and who left home with a supply of alcohol and sleeping tablets earlier this week.

Caroline, 27, known as Carly, suffers from ME and had been particularly depressed before leaving her home in the Holgate Road area of the city in the early hours of Thursday.

The last contact with her was a call she made on her mobile phone to her partner at about 5.30am who said she sounded as if she had been drinking.

York police said today that they have been continually ringing the mobile phone number.

Originally the phone had rung without being answered, but now it had gone completely dead.

Police have conducted a full search of the area around Carly's house and across the city, but have failed to find her.

She normally uses a wheelchair, but on this occasion went out with only her walking stick.

Police are now appealing for people to check their out-buildings where she might have taken refuge from the rain.

Anyone who finds Carly should ring the York Police switchboard on 01904 631321 where staff are aware of the incident.

Carly is described as 5ft 3ins tall, fairly well-built with a rounded, pale face.

She has reddy-brown extremely long hair usually tied in a plait and she has two dreadlocks behind each ear.

She was wearing a long olive green fleece jacket with an orange lining and thin canvas green boots.

Updated: 12:34 Saturday, February 10, 2001