Thanks to Roy Hebbes's encyclopeadic memory & knowledge and Birdog's help I have been able to re-live this nightmare. It's funny how things tend to be forgotten and heal up if we don't prod the wound isn't it?
Diggory, I think it would be beneficial if you as an aggrieved party were to make an official enquiry about these failures, rather than us carrying on speculating.
You did say that you would get to the bottom of it two years ago, but like me I guess because it 'went away' we forgot about it.
I do have problems with reconciling myself with why we should subject our pride & joy to two rounds of stress just to appease the common market? Which as far as Britain is concerned, nothing good as come out of it apart from the road out.