@ Gimba: fuse should be located on the body computer somewhere behind the glove box (I think) on UK cars. The fuse may have blown due to your dammaged wiring (short to ground)
@ Jameshobiecat: Good troubleshooting is not just throwing new parts in ! Why would you spend £25 if the fuse has blow ? A different story if the fuse blown BECAUSE of a bad motor (earthed)...
Bernie, I've been hanging around this forum for far too many years and have read many many threads about boots not opening and it always comes down to the latch. Plus, in my book a £25 part is well worth saving an hour or two trying to diagnose a problem. I'm not saying don't do a simple thing like checking a fuse, but the next step is to change the latch.