Cookie
Cookies policy (information our website collects from you)
What is a cookie?
Cookies are used to improve your experience on the web by e.g. remembering your passwords, enabling you to set the size of text, or making it easy to add items to a shopping cart. Analytics cookies which track your behaviour across a site without identifying you in anyway are collected to help website owners understand what works well on the site and what could be improved.
Cookies are small text files that are stored on the hard drive of your computer / device so that when you visit a site again it remembers whether you have been there before and what your preferences were. Some cookies are only temporary and are deleted at the point you close your browser. Other cookies are stored for longer. Some cookies are designed to track your behaviour and remember what you have been searching for or looking at online in order to be able to tailor specific content to you when you visit the site again. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has produced a guide for website owners (ICC UK Cookie guide) about the use of cookies and this site adheres to the guidance provided by them.
Types of Cookie? as defined by the ICC Cookie guide
Category 1: strictly necessary cookies:
These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.
Category 2: performance cookies:
These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works. By using our website you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.
Category 3: functionality cookies
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, a website may be able to provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing in a cookie the region in which you are currently located. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. By using our website you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.
Category 4: targeting cookies or advertising cookies: (we do not use category 4 cookies)
These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation.
How we use cookies?
We only use cookies that enable us to improve your experience using our site or that provide services which you have directly requested (such as logging in to our secure area). We collect anonymous site usage statistics using cookies through Google Analytics which do not identify who you are. These statistics are aggregated so that we can look at ways of improving our website and how it works. We do not use cookies that share your information or activity with third parties.
How can I prevent cookies from being set?
You can edit the preferences within your browser to prevent cookies being set. For help on doing this visit the help or tools section of your browser software. Note that if you do this it may limit the functionality of the website and you may not have access to the full features of the site.
How can I remove cookies from my device?
The method for removing cookies depends on which browser you are using. A useful starting point for this is either to search online for “How to remove cookies from [insert your browser] …” and insert your browser or you can take a look at: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser’s-Cookies