Peugeot 206 - Strange noise from peugeot - johnny

There's a strange noise coming from my mum's 06 plate 1.4 Peugeot 206 (or is it a 307 I can't honestly remember) which sounds not unlike a PC modem dialling. It appears to be coming from the area highlighted on the attached picture ( see link) but apart from that seems to be running fine. It starts as soon as the ignition is switched on.(i.e. before the engine is running) . Any ideas?

snipurl.com/x4mih

She's 250 miles away from me, but as the car's due a service soon, I thought it wise if she was forewarned about any possible expense.

Thanks