Hi as a new land rover owner i would like to thank everyone for the great advice on this site, I have recently purchased a 2010 freelander and within a month had the tailgate stuck shut problem, dodgy microswitch. This meant i could not lock the car, message on screen saying tailgate open and a beep from the horn when trying to lock it. Following advise from this site checked fuses and all ok. The real problem was that i was staying with friends in a major city at the time and this meant on street parking. As i have not seen this mentioned anywhere else you can still lock the car using the key which is hidden in the key fob, it just unclicks and slides out. You have to remove the door lock cover, passenger side on mine, with the key and then you can lock the car manually. i was lucky in the fact that i called a break down recovery man and he knew about this having seen it more than once before.
When i looked this process is in the handbook but being a man i had never bothered to read it, lol.

Good tip, thanks. I don't think I'd have thought to try that!

good tip there, im sure in a panic most wouldn't have thought of it

As this lock is not used every day it would be a good idea to lubricate it occasionally as it can be very stiff to turn. Don't use WD40. I use a 'dry' lubricant containing teflon so as not to attract dust.

yes should have mentioned to be very gentle with the key, not the most robust thing going

Good tip and will bear that in mind

Just looking through the threads in Tips and Tricks, found this informativ, gear tip. Thanks