OK... sadly there's a whole other instalment to this!
I went to clean the discs off again, started with the NS which seems to be the one still clattering albeit now only occasionally. With the disc cleaned and new pads in there, I gave it a spin to have a quick look at it running - MASSIVE side-to-side clatter. I could see the disc runout, so I put the dial gauge on it just to check, and I don't know what was going on when I checked it before, but it's now 0.2mm and clearly visible.
And whatever I do it's exactly that much - if it were due to sloppy fitting it would vary.
I've taken the bearings out, cleaned the hub out meticulously and refitted the bearings, same runout, tried new set of bearings, same runout, I even checked the depth of the bearings once fitted, looked meticulously at the surfaces the bearing tracks sit against... always exactly 0.2mm runout. And BTW it isn't the disc wonky on the hub, as the runout is the same on the hub outer surface, though I re-positioned the disc on the hub just in case... no difference!
SO - is it possible I've got a duff hub? I got it from Paddocks two years ago - coincidentally how long I've had the clattering! I can't remember if it was marked "Britpart" but you never know, maybe it was. I can't think of any way I could have knackered it, it's a pretty solid chunk of metal!
I'm tempted to just get another one. I can't be unlucky twice. Or is there anything else I should check first?