I do 3 or 4 long drives (400miles) a year, but rest of the year I’m doing short 5-8 mile drives every couple of days in my local area at mainly urban speeds. 
I’ve not had any problems so far, but I’ve heard of dpf problems with these diesels and how expensive they can be to fix.
Can any of you advise how I can best avoid the dpf clogging up, getting warning messages come up etc. 

many thanks 

Mac

Morning Ian

Welcome to the Forum

Soot is the enemy of all Diesel engines and clogged EGR systems and blocked DPF's are the common symptoms effecting modern diesel engines. My driving pattern is similar to yours.

Getting the exhaust temperature up to trigger Regeneration is the key so a good half hour run on a dual carriageway or Motorway keeping engine revs up by using manual on the box has worked for me (so far) I do it about once a month

Making sure everything is serviced and all Glowplugs operate as they should (BMW use the Glow Plugs to help achieve Regen Temps) and a bottle of DPF cleaner in a tank of diesel a couple of times a year have worked so far 😁 (tempting fate now)

Good luck 

Dave

Welcome to the forum, Mac!