Thanks for your DIY tip...I had bought a 2nd hand motor on Ebay for £6 (approximately $9) thinking that it was the motor causing the problem, but it wasn't & I was just about to book it in to a repairer when I read your tip. It took all of 10 mins to remove the filter, clean & replace it. A big thank you, saved me a lot of money!!!
PS Photos are large but that isn't a problem on my laptop.