Hey ian it was me that called
Sadly its not under warranty. Its a 51 plate 172 ph2. I've checked all the mildly relevant fuses on the side of the dash but they all appear to be ok. Nothing in the handbook or the fuse map thing seem to be related to the dash. I dont have a map for the fuses next to the battery in the engine bay but after a quick poke around with a torch i couldnt see any that were dead. I didnt wanna take any out without knowing what they are related to.
I may have to take it to a garage if it means taking the dash off. I only have a parking space at my place so its not ideal for pulling the car apart.
I had a look under the dash above the pedals and couldnt see anything particularly loose but I couldnt concentrate much by that pont because my feet were up by the headrests on the passenger side! :S