Hi Guys, sorry for not being more descriptive.
I've just checked the haynes manual and it looks like it's called the steering column intermediate shaft - when you look under the bonnet it's to the left of the engine and has 2 universal joints top and bottom - thanks Defender Daz!
A mechanic looked at it today after fitting a new part and said that the top joint is knackered - I can see replacements on ebay for around a tenner, but they seem to be pre-97 and I can't find any for the TD5 unless you buy the whole shaft and joints together, which is between £100 and £200, so i was hoping taht you could buy the top universal joint seperately?
Cheers