What are cookies?
‘Cookies’ are pieces of information that are stored as small text files and kept on the computer’s hard drive or device. Once a cookie is stored on the computer then only that website can retrieve or read the contents of that cookie similar to an identification card that tells the website that the user has returned. Cookies cannot be used to identify you personally.
Cookies are useful because they make the interaction between the user and the website faster and easier as they allow that website to remember things, such as the user’s preferences.
How and why we use cookies
We use cookies to save you time and make the browsing experience on our website more efficient and enjoyable.
There are different types of cookies but we use the following:
Session/transient cookies – these are stored in the computer’s memory for the duration of the browser session only and are automatically deleted from your computer when the browser is closed. These cookies allow the website to recognise your device/computer so that you do not need to give the same information several times during one browser session. These are also used to allow access to the Customer Sign in Area, as the website can see that you have successfully logged in.
Permanent, persistent or stored cookies – these are stored on the computer’s hard drive and are not deleted from your computer when the browser is closed. These cookies allow the website to remember your preferences, such as your selected language.
We use a combination of both types of cookies to allow us to see how the site is being used. This includes what pages are visited, how the page is reached and how long the page takes to load. This allows us to identify any problem areas, or pages that are not being visited and helps us to improve and enhance your experiences with us in the future.
How to manage your cookies.
Most web browsers on computers or devices are setup to accept cookies. If you wish to amend your cookie preferences for this website, you can do this through your browser settings. Your browsers Help functionality can tell you how to make these changes.
However, please remember that cookies are used to enable certain functionality on our site. If you wish to disable certain cookies, it is likely to affect how our website works. For instance, if you choose to disable session cookies you will still be able to browse the site but you will be unable to login to the Customer Sign in Area.
For more information about how to disable cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org