This site uses cookies – small text files that are placed on your machine to help the site provide a better user experience.

In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics.

As a rule, cookies will make your browsing experience better. However, you may prefer to disable cookies on this site and on others. The most effective way to do this is to disable cookies in your browser.

 

Please note: Cookie laws have changed with effect from 26th May 2011.

On 26th May 2011, new laws came into force in the UK that affect most web sites. If cookies are used in a site, the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (UK Regulations) provide that certain information must be given to that site’s visitors and the user must give his or her consent to the placing of the cookies.

The UK Regulations implemented into UK law the provisions of the amended E-Privacy Directive of 2009. The Directive required that the new laws be implemented into the laws of all EU Member States by 25th May 2011. The UK is only one of three member states to meet this deadline.

The UK Regulations mean that a website operator must not store information or gain access to information stored in the computer (or other web-enabled device) of a user unless the user “is provided with clear and comprehensive information about the purposes of the storage of, or access to, that information” and “has given his or her consent“.  The consent requirement in the UK Regulations replaces the previous position which provided that visitors should be given the option to refuse cookies.

The only cookies that do not need users’ consent are those that are necessary to fulfill the user’s request. That will cover, for example, the use of cookies to remember the contents of a user’s shopping cart as the user moves through several pages on a website. Other cookies, including those used to count visitors to a site and those used to serve advertising, will require consent.