again fellas, thanks for all the comments, I did what was suggested by his dudeness and cut the bit off the end, about a quarter of an inch, and re-attached... after much tugging (and pulling the pipes, wahey!) the coolant pipes came off the thermostat and once everything was unclipped it was an easy fix.
I filled the system with water to check for leaks, nothing apparent so took it for a spin around some local streets, gradually to start with and stopping regularly to check the fan hadn't kicked in and that it wasn't pissing water out, then getting a bit quicker and revving harder. white smoke has gone from the exhaust and all is good!
good tip darrsi, I'll put Rad flush in and run it for a few days, I'll sort that after work tomorrow I think, should be ok on just water till then, provided it doesn't freeze tonight!
I'm also going to order a replacement pipe to fit at the weekend, the disadvantage of not having a garage and needing to work late in the winter
CHeers for the tip limax, I was thinking it must be a standard size so may have a look at just buying a piece of hose depending on the cost of the genuine part.
Thanks again everyone
Phil