Coolant not flowing back to expansion tank

Hi Team, after a second theft attempt, I've had to move my 1.8 DX Cabby to my parents. Went through my usual startup procedures after leaving her stood for a while and noticed there was no coolant return flow to the expansion tank. I was in a hurry as it was raining and I wanted to get the car away from my property before nightfall so drove the 1 mile anyway. Temp needle went very quickly to the right with red flashing light and the fan didn't kick in.

Now it's bugging me. Is there a troubleshooting guide with 'do this first' to rule out various components?

Thanks, Paul

Could be blocked hoses or water pump faulty.

The flow back to the tank is only a dribble at idle and flows more when reving the engine.

I would guess the water pump as the car heated up quickly.

stuck t-stat. bad fan switch.  Plugged matrix.