Heating the rubber hose is worth a try, Mick. Thanks. I'd really appreciate your further thoughts on removing the filler hardware.
B3MOG* - Thanks, using a metal connecting pipe is a great idea I hadn't considered though this is a last resort for me for two reasons:
1. It would introduce two more joints in each fuel filler hose; a total of four metal to rubber joints on each side. The greater the number of joints, the greater the chance of a fuel leakage.
2. The entire hose is under 250mm long per side. It will be hard to juggle all the bits (three metal pipes and two pieces of hose - each side) to create sufficient overlap for sealing purposes though I would give it a go.
I'd first like to exhaust the possibility of removing the filler hardware so if anybody has an idea, I'd appreciate you sharing it.
* We're near neighbours on the DVLA spectrum; my index mark is B9MOG.
