What are Cookies?
A cookie is a text-only string of information that a website transfers to the cookie file of the browser on your computer’s hard disk so that the website can recognize you when you revisit and remember certain information about you. This can include which pages you have visited, choices you have made from menus, any specific information you have entered into forms and the time and date of your visit.
What are the different types of cookies?
- Essential or ‘Strictly Necessary’ Cookies.
These are cookies which are essential for the running of our websites. Without these cookies, parts of our websites would not function. These cookies do not track where you have been on the internet and do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing purposes. - Functional Cookies.
Functional cookies are used to remember your preferences on our websites and to provide enhanced, more personal features. The information collected by these cookies is usually anonymised, so we cannot identify you personally. Functional cookies do not track your internet usage or gather information which could be used for selling advertising, but they do help with serving advertising. - Analytical Performance Cookies.
Analytical performance cookies are used to monitor the performance of our websites, for example, to determine the number of page views and the number of unique users a website has. Web analytics services may be designed and operated by third parties. The information provided by these cookies allows us to analyse patterns of user behaviour and we use that information to enhance user experience or identify areas of the website which may require maintenance. The information is anonymous (i.e. it cannot be used to identify you and does not contain personal information such as your name and email address) and it is only used for statistical purposes. - Behavioural Advertising Cookies.
Behavioural advertising cookies, which may be placed on your device by us or our trusted third party service providers, remember that you have visited a website and use that information to provide you with advertising which is tailored to your interests. This is often called online behavioural advertising (OBA) and is done by grouping together shared interests based upon web browsing history. Your web browsing history can be used to infer things about you (e.g. your age, gender etc.), and this information may also be used to make advertising on websites more relevant to you. Although behavioural advertising cookies can track your activity around the internet they cannot identify you personally, even if you are signed in to our website. Without these cookies, online advertisements you encounter will be less relevant to you and your interests.
How to control and delete cookies
If you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by us, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The Help function within your browser should tell you how.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org, which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your computer (including those from this visit) as well as more general information about cookies. For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile device you will need to refer to your handset manual.
Control cookies
- These links explain how you can control cookies via your browser – remember that if you turn off cookies in your browser then these settings apply to all websites not just this one:
- Internet Explorer (this page links to further information for different versions of IE – the mobile version).
- Chrome
- Safari(or for mobile versions)
- Firefox
- Blackberries
- Android
- Opera