"Victoria Clare" wrote in message

No, this was not a jam: nothing was stuck at any point, and I tried it
again several hours later - still no joy, so it's not the thermal cutout
either. The engine failed. I rang the helpline in the end, and that's
what
they said.

There are only a few things you can do to a shredder if it's not working,
and believe me, I did them!

I hope it is new enough for them to exchange/refund/repair.

Ophelia