After 10 months, 6 visits to the garage, a couple of letters to Peugeot UK and the replacing of various parts including a whole new ECU, apparently Peugeot have notified dealerships recently that some vehicles have got a cylinder head with valves which are a mm (or something like that ) too big thus making them stick. This would account for why on starting the car, in the lower gears I always felt like I was trying to accelerate through glue and why number 3 valve kept misfiring. Apparenly the misfire would then send the engine management system into confusion and in its efforts to counteract the problem, would then send either catalytic converter or anti pollution messages with then the ensuing loss of power. When the engine was restarted then it reset everything and it was like nothing had ever happened.
So my car has now got a completely new cylinder head with slimmer valves and .....(touch wood) it feels completely different, a much smoother drive, no sluggishness in accelerating. Of course I have only had it back a day so don't know for sure if this really is the long term answer and won't know for a good few months to come. I have had my hopes raised many times before, but I must say the garage seem more convinced this time that they have got to the root of the problem.
So for anyone out there with the same problem....get a new cylinder head.....it apparently cost Peugeot £1200 ....how sad?!!
