What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files which are saved to your computer, tablet or mobile phone/device through your web browser when you access websites and can be accessed by the web server or the client's computer. This allows the server to deliver content tailored to a particular user as well as remember preferences and even keep track of items in a user’s shopping cart.
The purpose of cookies is to make your interaction with a website smoother with no additional effort required by the user.
How long does a cookie last?
The time of expiry of a cookie can be set when the cookie is created. By default the cookie is destroyed when the current browser window is closed, but it can be made to persist for an arbitrary length of time after that.
What types of cookies are there?
Session Cookie
A session cookie for a website only exists whilst the user is reading or navigating the website. When the user closes their web browser these cookies are usually removed.
Persistent Cookie
A persistent cookie for a website exists on a user’s computer until a future date. For example, the cookie expiry date could be set as one year and each time a website is accessed over this period the website could access the cookie.
HttpOnly Cookie
A HttpOnly cookie can only be used via HTTP or HTTPS, and therefore cannot be accessed by javascript. This reduces threat of session cookie theft via cross site scripting (XSS).
Secure Cookie
A secure cookie can only be used via HTTPS. This ensures the cookie data is encrypted, reducing the expose to cookie theft via eavesdropping.
First-Party Cookies
First-party cookies are cookies set with the same domain (or its subdomain) as your browser's address bar. First-party cookies are only set or retrieved by the website while you are visiting it, so they cannot normally be used to track activity or pass data from one site to another.
Third-Party Cookies
Third-party cookies are cookies set with domains different from the one shown on the address bar. The web pages on the first domain may feature content from a third-party domain, e.g. an advert run by www.advertexample.com. Privacy setting options in most modern browsers allow you to block third-party tracking cookies.
What cookies does this website use?
Cookie Compliance
- complianceCookie: Expires after 14 days
This cookie is used to remember a user’s choice about cookies on this website. Where users have previously indicated a preference, that user’s preference will be stored in this cookie.
Google Analytics
- _ga: Used to distinguish users and expires after 2 years
- _gid: Used to distinguish users and expires after 24 hours
- _gat_gtag_UA_109028862_1: Used to throttle request rate and expires after one minutes
Google Analytics is a persistent cookie and is used on this website to allow us to analyse how users interact with the website. This allows us to make continuous improvements to ensure we can provide you with a better experience on our website. No personal information is taken. For further information regarding Google Analytics, please refer to: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245
Google Maps
- SID, SAPISID, APISID, SSID, HSID, NID, PREF: Most of the cookies expire 10 years after your last visit to a page containing a Google Map.
Google set a number of cookies on any page that includes a Google Map. While we have no control over the cookies set by Google, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Google Maps users. Please refer to Google’s Privacy Policy for more information: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
Other
- DYNSRV: This cookie is added by our load balancer to track which web server to send the visitor to. Its purpose is to improve the performance of the website. Expires end of session.
How do I opt out of Google Analytics?
By installing this browser plug-in, you can prevent the cookie generated by Google from collecting the data as explained above. https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
How can I delete cookies?
You can delete cookies from your computer although this may impact your experience on the website. Please refer to the following documentation on how to delete cookies: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/clear-cookies-installed.html