I have determined that the issue is with the WP-Optimize plugin.
All works fine when I deactivate it.
Not sure what to do next!
this was a plugin issue, fixed!
I just had a mini seizure reading your explanation (lol, I kid.)
Thanks – done!
I did actually and tried numerous different images (even much smaller ones) and the same issue persists unfortunately 🙁
Appreciate your help Andrew!
Cheers.