Thanks Sercs.
I had an Engineer here (yes, for an hour!) and we couldn't get the condenser out (we didn't have an A frame to crane the drum out, and the back panel is fixed to the sides).
We did remove the heater box and pour several kettles worth of boiling water down through the condenser and there appeared to be no restriction to flow.
The machine does draw water during tumbling, so it's not the water valve, and the fan runs freely and is clear (we could see it with the heater removed).
We couldn't open the heater box up to check for obstructions, but the Engineer stuck his fingers in and said it felt clear.
In spite of all this, it still just gets the clothes hot and doesn't dry them. I think I'll just have to buy a separate tumble dryer... :-(
Andrew Chantrill
November 2008