Mrs. Catcher told me we have nets for such items. Never used them myself but then I've never cleaned the filter either, something she does regularly, apparently. Anywaysanall the pump seems to be fixing itself - at least it's doing what it's meant to do and is considerably less noisy now than it was in the immediate aftermath so I haven't bothered ordering a replacement yet. Available from NI spares for under stg£30 with express (1-2 day) delivery so no panic, I guess.