Vintage mixer tap refurb

[whitegold]

Good afternoon all.
I’m hoping some kind (old) soul can remember how these mixer taps are serviced?
The vintage is around mid to late sixties and the handles are NOT screwed on.
I managed to pry out one of the indices and instead of a screw there’s a rectangular shaft that’s permanently locked into the handle.
I’m hoping the handles pull off, so it would be good to have this confirmed before I start to get busy with an impact puller! The layout is impossibly tight to the wall so it is highly desirable to fix it as a new mixer would entail replacing the whole bath and re-tiling and sadly that’s not really an option.
Many thanks for any / all advice.

 

[footprints]

Try pouring boiling water over the heads to expand them, wear gloves when they come off your knuckles will suffer! Try an adjustable spanner adjusted to fit just under the bottom of the head and lever it up. Vinegar left in the top recess under the coloured cap overnight may help to dissolve scale

 

[Alec_t]

I’m hoping the handles pull off

That would be the logical conclusion if you are sure there is no screw to undo. Could be a very tight fit if there is limescale in there, or a decayed O-ring.