SOLVED - OK so the carb itself and all the jets and holes were clean already so that wasn't the problem.
It turns out there is a thick-ish plastic shim that sits inside the carburettor as it fits onto the engine. During the process of taking the carb off an on this shim had worked its way halfway out and this left a big gap for air to enter the system.
Anyway i pushed it back in and now it works great, idles great and is ready for another few years of fun
Thanks everyone