Last week having had some work done on the electrics and the usual problem of the car not showing the main reason for taking it to the electrician. On picking the car up and having driven less than a mile, but had used the brakes, coming up to a stop at a T-junction- foot on the brakes - brakes malfunction in the could only move the pedal a few mm before being to hard to press. Managed to get home, then to local mechanics this week who confirmed not a mechanical but electrical. Returned the car to the electrician and they eventually found that fuse 8 in the central fuse box had blown and when replaced the brakes worked. The warning of this long worded story is that fuse 8 is for the radio[:0], therefore have increaed the fuse from 5 to 30 and will look to get a warning light wired up to the fuse so I know when I lose the brakes.
Now I know others have played with my electrics but it might be worth checking your cars to make sure you do not have the same problem.