Not the end of the world! Whilst waiting for help, i decided to vacuum out carefully behind the circuit board where I had discovered a lot of fluff. Re assembled, plugged in & hey presto. Good as new. In fact the number 8 which showed before it died was the second diget of the 38 minutes remaining. Hope this helps anyone near to dispair with a weeks washing to dry!
Wishywashy, May 2011