if theres no signs of power then I would suspect the battery connections, remove the connections, clean them up and refit them.

what for? how?

check the battery connections.

the thing is it was charging for 24hrs, and started fine the first time. could it be losing it's charge somehow?

btw the charger hasn't got a meter on it.

it could be that you have a dodgy connection when you've put it back in

some chargers have a voltmeter and an ammeter on them, you put the leads on the battery, when the charger isnt plugged in, and they will go up if the battery is getting charged while the engine is running

yeah i took the battery out to charge it.
how do i check that battery is being charged by the car? the battery warning light had gone off when the engine started btw.

did you remove the battery when you charged it?

has the battery charger got dials on it to tell you if its charging?

if it has, charge the battery enough to start the car, and while its running, see if the battery is charging on its own

could be that the alternator isnt working properly

not a very long drive, not even 5 miles i don't think.

oh it's a 93 corsa diesel 1.5

how long a drive did you go for?

what car, what engine, what year?

right,

ive just charged my battery for a full 24hrs (after leaving the lights on overnight), stuck it in the car, went for a drive and no problems whatsoever.

came home, left the car for a couple of hours and tried to start it again. there wasn't even a noise from the starter motor, and the dash lights went completely off.

i know chances are the battery's knackered, but i'm worried that maybe it's an electrical problem that could be draining the battery???