Will wonders never cease
an unexpected knock at my door just 30 mins ago (12.05 pm) heralded the unannounced arrival of an ntl engineer
within 5 minutes the faulty cable modem had been confirmed and a new one then installed
as an unexpected bonus he also fixed a reception problem with my cable tv box
so in just 20 minutes broadband and tv all working correctly
thank you to all who have followed this thread which can now be considered closed
hurrah !!!!