Just to close this loop.
Eventually at the end of the lockdown I contacted the original suppliers in Ireland, HiFi Hut, they returned the KEFs to the island of Ireland distributor in Belfast and thence on to Kent (I presume).
Collected them last week, the son says they are fixed and I was not charged so kudos to KEF, their Irish distributors and HiFi Hut.
No accompanying literature or input to let me know what the issue was but I’m a happy camper and much more predisposed to KEF as a company.
Kent Engineering and Foundry, I’m a happy customer.
.sjb