Ten people living in substandard housing in Zabbar had a close call yesterday morning when some stone slabs collapsed under the weight of a water tank.

The building, an old house in Lane no.5 of Triq il-Biccieni, Zabbar is home to two families, one of four and the other of six.

No one was injured when the ceiling collapsed.

Jacqueline Bonello, a pregnant mother of three, said that at 5.30am she was walking towards the kitchen to make tea when all of a sudden she heard the slabs coming down.

A family of six lives on the ground floor.

The building has been condemned by architects for several years, said the residents, who have been waiting for alternative accommodation for 16 years.