2011 A1 - seized bonnet latch

[jeebsy]

I had a couple of wee jobs to do on a friend's A1 today but the interior handle to release the bonnet was broken. I got the trims off and got pliers on the cable but it still wasn't opening so suspect the latch has seized.

I ran out of time and will have to go back another day but is there a way to get at the latch through the top of the grill? There were some comments on VW forums saying on the Polo you need to destroy the grill to get into the latch but hoping to avoid that if possible.