After getting rid of the Rover 214, I have got an Astra - 2 years old. Can anyone tell me whether Astras have a known handbrake problem - I have had to have mine adjusted twice in 2 weeks - I can drive with the handbrake on and even move it fwd or reverse on tickover. It's a bit worrying when parked on a downhill slope at work and I have left it in reverse gear that it still starts to creep down hill!!
You almost certainly have a brake problem in the shape of one or both wheel cylinders leaking fluid onto the shoes with the attendant loss of friction.
If you 'had to have it adjusted twice in two weeks' take it back to whoever you paid to do the job. If you ask for a handbrake to be sorted, it should be checked for efficiency afterwards.
Covering myself in case I've made the same c*ck-up twice in quick succession, do astras this age have rear disc brakes? If so, it could be the case that the pads are worn down to the point where the anti-rattle springs meet each other in the middle and can't apply the brake properly, as used to happen with early astra front brakes.
Any way you look at it though, it's a brake problem. And for the OP I should point out that in 99% of cars, applying the handbrake uses the same brake components as applying the foot brake, but only at one end, usually the rear. It's not a separate brake, just a different way of applying the same brake. It should have been sorted though. Whenever I work on a handbrake or rear brake, I test it by manually by turning the wheels, or attempting to, both with and without the brakes applied. It sounds like whoever did yours just tightened the cable without jacking it up, which can mean that the brake will bind (fail to release) later.
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