I thought I would just post up some pictures of the hose clip, that will hopefully make it easier for people in the future to work out how to release it without damage.
This is what you are aiming for.
If you look in the black plastic ends of the clip, there is a wire that runs through the clip towards the middle of it. This is bent at right angles on the two ends. (Sorry about the focus.)
Using a small flat bladed screwdriver, you can push the metal "L" shaped end out away from the centre of the clip until it locks over the indentation in the plastic clip. On mine, this clip only just holds the metal, so I found that once I had pushed the metal back, to put a second screwdriver through the bit of wire that was now arched out the side of the pipe end.
It's very easy once you know how, although, you have to do this for both sides of the black plastic clip, and often, while doing the second side, the first side will pop back closed again, so patience is needed.
Cute Freindly Giant
