Cookie Policy UK | How We Use Cookies

UK GDPR and PECR Cookie Regulations

In the United Kingdom, cookie usage is governed by two key pieces of legislation: the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). Together, these laws ensure that websites obtain proper consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

Under PECR Regulation 6, we are required to tell you about any cookies we use and obtain your consent before placing any cookie that is not strictly necessary for the operation of our website. The UK GDPR further requires that any consent given must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. This means we cannot use pre-ticked boxes, and you must take a clear affirmative action to consent to non-essential cookies.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK supervisory authority responsible for enforcing these regulations. We comply with all ICO guidance on cookies and similar technologies, including their updated guidance published in 2024 on consent mechanisms and cookie banners.

Detailed Cookie Types We Use

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the basic functionality of our website. They enable core features such as page navigation, access to secure areas, and remembering your cookie consent preferences. Without these cookies, the website cannot function properly. Under PECR, these cookies are exempt from the consent requirement because they are strictly necessary to provide the service you have requested.

Examples include: session management cookies, load balancing cookies, cookie consent preference cookies, and security cookies that help detect and prevent fraudulent activity.

Analytics Cookies

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies collect information about which pages are visited, how long users spend on each page, and how they navigate through the site. All data collected is aggregated and anonymised - we cannot identify individual users from analytics data. We use this information solely to improve our website and calculator tools.

GA4 cookies are only set after you provide consent through our cookie banner. If you decline analytics cookies, GA4 will not track your visit. We have configured Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled and data sharing with Google disabled.

Advertising Cookies

Advertising cookies may be set by our advertising partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. These cookies work by uniquely identifying your browser and device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. We only load advertising scripts after receiving your explicit consent.

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies enable enhanced features and personalisation, such as remembering your preferred theme (light or dark mode), your last-used calculator settings, and your preferred measurement units. These cookies improve your experience but are not essential for the site to work.

How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options for managing cookies on our website:

1. Our Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit our site, a cookie consent banner will appear giving you the choice to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in our website footer.

2. Browser Settings

All major browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings menus. You can block all cookies, block only third-party cookies, or delete cookies when you close your browser. Here is how to access cookie settings in popular browsers:

• Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Apple Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies

3. Opt-Out Links

For analytics cookies specifically, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, which prevents Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to any website. For advertising cookies, you can visit Your Online Choices to manage advertising preferences across multiple networks.

Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under the UK GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and port your personal data. You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time. If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. For any questions about how we use cookies, please contact us at our contact page.