Cheers
I've put a transfer order through anyway with 123reg. Says I need to get the IPS TAG changed to "123-REG", so I've sent i-web another ticket requesting that.
i-web used FASTHOSTS/UKREG for my domain name. The UKREG site has a guide for releasing a domain name, although you have to pay & it still requires someone being able to contact the UKREG reseller (i-web).
http://www.ukreg.com/transfer-domains/domain-release/