I am in the SS11 postcode area which has some sort of network issue at the moment, but I don't think that is the problem.
I contacted 'faults' and they tried to reset the V+ box. Unfortunately this didn't solve anything. If I press the record button I get a 2001 error message which apparrently means that I am 'not subscribed' to the V+ service even though I am on the system at their end.
The case has been passed on to the department that deals with the software updates who will contact me. It looks as though the 'code drop' has knackered the box. I expect this will neccessitate a box swap which is bit of a shame as I had about 60 hours of programmes saved that I hadn't watched and can't now access
That will teach me to keep more up to date with watching stuff that I record!