Hello there. I took your advice and got a digital multimeter from b&q. Battery is reading 11.7 volts after many days of charging so i think thats a write off. Will be heading into the mains circuit labrynth this pm. Ill let you know if i survive.
Mike

Oh and its a Shield 95a "sealed" wet lead acid battery

Well now. Is there an Eribafolk award for idiocy? If so, then I claim it (at least for this year). Fully equipped with wellies, tropical topee and a digital multimeter I ventured into unknown territory. Since it was a lovely afternoon, my wife decided to venture out as well (she may have been concerned for my welfare, possibly) bringing cups of coffee. She sat on one of the seats in Doris while I dived in. I checked some extra fuses I had spotted which were in line between the battery charger (as I now know it) and the 12v outlet on the front shelf (/windowsill) and found that it was blown! ah ha!... but then i realised this couldn't have anything to do with my larger issues. So, I took off the cover to the BIP, and then detached that from the bulkhead to check for loose connections. All seemed to be good. I plugged in the hookup to the mains and stuck a mains tester on the live side going into the RCD... and there was a flicker! odd... So I checked the hookup adaptor, then the socket end bit and then plugged it in to Doris again. At this point my able assistant said 'the lights came on' but then it went off again.... so I thought I'd work back down the line - starting by using the spare hookup cable... and miracle of miracles... it worked. So, I'm an idiot because I'd checked the original cable with the multimeter by holding it vertically and shoving in the probes... and got a reading. I didn't actually take the connectors apart. Now I did, and discovered that the live wire was not secured into the block and looking at it, seems that when its vertical it made contact, but as soon as in moved to horizontal it flopped away from the connector - so no circuit, and no power. Doh! Anyway, I put it all back together again and the mains at least works! just like it was supposed too! Hurrah! Lesson is - when people who are wiser than you say to check the hookup lead (about the 2nd response to my original cry for help, then listen, and then take the stupid things apart... and look properly.
Ho hum.
Still need a new battery....but thats easily (if expensively) fixed

Thanks to all who offered advice and comfort.The plus side of this is that I now know a lot more about Eriba electrics than I did before... I think thats a good thing?

Now we're looking forward to France in July... St Malo, Bordeaux, Pyrenees, Languedoc, Auvergne and Loire... can't wait! ..... and now with power!

Mike