1999 Mk4 V5: Fuel Flap/Cover advice please!

Hi...having now spent many an hour searching then I'm well aware that the issue of a jammed shut fuel flap is addressed many a time over...but I've found nothing definitive about the V5 as yet.
My main concern....most solutions advise to access the solenoid/bar via boot/carpet & panel but I only have to peel the carpet back a little to reveal a solid steel panel that said carpet molds itself around....there is no apparent access to anything....so may I ask please....is there some way to release a stuck fuel flap on a Mk4/V5?
And as for any hints re the fault itself....For several weeks I've needed to poke away at the switch a good few times before the flap would finally spring open, although it sounded as though it had opened each time.....a week back it decided to remain shut no matter how much I poked & the solenoid worked...& now I hear only the faintest of clicks, ear almost pinned to the flap?
Stuck on the drive now, out of gas....any help very much required & appreciated.
Thanks/Gill