Thankyou for the replies
I have learnt a great deal from this info - I do intend to sell this hoover on ebay but I wanted to know more about it before I sold it.
Although I am surprised it is only a budget item as it still works nicely, it picks up all the dirt only thing is it is small so it would need to be emptied often
and yes you are correct Anthony - there is no earth - although the bit which holds the fan inside is plastic.
I have this site very interesting on a number of topics and I plan on using this site more often.
Thankyou all again