ANewDev

Solved!! It looks like it was my clumsy attempt to add hyperlinks to the four advanced text widgets. I sorted it out by removing the hyperlinks and adding buttons after the text. Why it only breaks in IE 9 will have to remain a mystery!
Thanks again for your first class support and help in pointing me in the right direction.

Thank you for your prompt reply. I used the code you provided and simply changed the content. The slider images are 1920 x 350 and the widget images are 260px wide as suggested. I’ve also tried disabling the slider and it did not help. I’m using a child theme and added the following to the css:-
/* social group */
#st-socialbar-wrapper {
height: 0px;
/* Note height was 40px */
}

#st-banner0-wrapper {
height: 220px;
/* Note this section added to set a top margin before front page text*/
}

This achieved what I wanted but, as a beginner, I’m not sure if it’s valid. However, removing the code does not fix the issue and I’ve now run out of ideas.