For those in the know: there's this rather useful feature on the delete ftp user that allows you to delete the content of that users ftp directory as you delete the user - a perfectly useful feature unless that user happens to be pointing at your public_html folder... as I said a cluster of gargantuan proportions - but I will learn from my cock up and be doing slightly more regular backups than I have.
I have some piecing together to do tonight when I can get at a backup of the site which is currently at home.
The bad news is - this means that I have lost uploaded pictures and peoples avatars if they've changed / been created after the backup - sorry peeps.
Once again sorry and I will learn from my cock up and from now on will be doing regular backups.
Also I have to update us at some point to ensure we have the security updates but I'm going to piece it back together for now make sure that's bedded in again properly and then move forward after taking a backup
I await