Cookie Policy for British Water Systems Archive (BritishWaterSystems.com)
Last Updated: [Date of Last Update]
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how British Water Systems Archive ("we", "us", "our") uses them on the website BritishWaterSystems.com (the "Site"), and your choices regarding cookies.
This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which provides further details on how we process personal data.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to the site owners.
Cookies can be "persistent" (remaining on your device for a set period or until you delete them) or "session" cookies (which are deleted when you close your browser).
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for several purposes, which are categorised as follows:
- Essential/Strictly Necessary Cookies: These are required for the operation of our Site. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas or use a shopping cart.
- Analytical/Performance Cookies: These allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and see how they move around our Site. This helps us improve how the Site works.
- Functionality Cookies: These are used to recognise you when you return to our Site. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name, and remember your preferences.
- Targeting/Advertising Cookies: These record your visit to our Site, the pages you have visited, and the links you have followed. We may use this information to make our Site and any advertising displayed more relevant to your interests.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
The table below details the specific cookies we use on the British Water Systems Archive Site.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type & Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| session_id | BritishWaterSystems.com | Essential for maintaining user session state, particularly for admin logins and form submissions. | Session Cookie |
| cookie_consent | BritishWaterSystems.com | Stores your consent preferences for cookie categories. | Persistent (1 year) |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Used to distinguish unique users and calculate visitor data. | Persistent (2 years) |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Used to distinguish unique users for a single day. | Persistent (24 hours) |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Used to throttle request rate to Google Analytics servers. | Persistent (1 minute) |
| pll_language | BritishWaterSystems.com | Remembers your selected language preference for the Site. | Persistent (1 year) |
We may update this list periodically. Third-party cookies (like Google Analytics) are subject to the respective third party's privacy policies.
4. Consent for Cookies
When you first visit our Site, you will be presented with a cookie banner seeking your consent to use non-essential cookies, as required by data protection laws such as the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
You can give or withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our Site or by managing your browser settings as described below.
Essential cookies do not require your consent as they are necessary for the basic functions of the Site.
5. Managing and Disabling Cookies
You have the right to accept or reject cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through:
- Our Consent Tool: Use the "Cookie Settings" panel accessible from the cookie banner or Site footer to toggle categories on or off.
- Your Browser Settings: Most browsers allow you to refuse or accept cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified before a cookie is stored. The steps to do this vary by browser. You can find guidance for common browsers here:
Important Note: Blocking or deleting cookies may impact your user experience on our Site. Some features may not function properly, and you may not be able to access all or parts of the Site.
6. Third-Party Cookies and Services
We use services from third parties that may also set cookies on your device when you visit our Site. These include:
- Google Analytics: For analysing Site traffic and usage patterns. Google's privacy policy is available at: https://policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt-out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Content Management System (CMS): Our website platform may use essential and functional cookies for its operation.
- Embedded Content: Pages on this Site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, maps, social media feeds). Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if you had visited the other website. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, and track your interaction with the embedded content.
We do not have direct control over these third-party cookies. We recommend you review the respective privacy and cookie policies of these third parties for more information.
7. Data Transfers and International Processing
As some of our third-party service providers (e.g., Google) are based outside the United Kingdom, the processing of personal data collected via cookies may involve a transfer of data outside the UK.
We ensure such transfers are compliant with UK data protection law, relying on adequacy regulations or appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA).
8. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have rights including:
- Right of Access: You can request copies of your personal data.
- Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You can request restriction of processing your personal data.
- Right to Object to Processing: You can object to our processing of your personal data.
- Right to Data Portability: You can request transfer of your data to another organisation.
To exercise these rights in relation to data collected via cookies, please contact us using the details in Section 10. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
You also have the right to make a complaint to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. Their website is: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.
9. Policy Updates
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, or our practices. We will post the revised policy on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, our use of cookies, or your data protection rights, please contact us:
By Email: privacy@britishwatersystems.com
By Post: Data Protection Enquiry, British Water Systems Archive, [Insert Registered Office Address].