What are cookies?
A cookie is a text file containing a small amount of data which is downloaded to your computer when you visit one of our websites. The vast majority of websites use cookies and tracking technologies. Cookies are useful because they help us arrange the content and layout of our websites and recognise those computers that have been to our websites before. They allow us to remember your preference settings and play an important role in helping us to enhance the usability and performance of our websites and your experience using them. Some cookies are also essential to enable you to move around our website and use its features. They also help us to identify which of our articles are the most popular and the types of journey visitors have to our websites.
What are cookies used for?
Cookies and other technologies allow a site or services to know if your computer or device has visited it before. These technologies can then be used to deliver products, services, and ads, help us understand how the site or service is being used, help you navigate between pages efficiently, help remember your preferences, and generally improve your experience in using our services.
How long will cookies stay on my device?
The length of time a cookie will stay on your computer or mobile device depends on whether it is a "persistent" or "session" cookie. Session cookies will only stay on your device until you stop browsing. Persistent cookies stay on your computer or mobile device until they expire or are deleted.
Types of cookies
Cookies may be either "persistent" cookies or "session" cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user. Cookies can be used by web servers to identity and track users as they navigate different pages on a website and identify users returning to a website.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Why we use cookies
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by the privacy statement.
You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Managing cookies
Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies and to delete cookies. The methods for doing so vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can however obtain up-to-date information about blocking and deleting cookies via these links:
Last reviewed July 2024
Date of next review July 2027