Cookie Policy
When you browse our website, we collect ‘cookies’ to help us understand more about how our site is used by visitors, and to develop and enhance our services to you.
A ‘cookie’ is a bit of information kept on your computer. It tells us things like what device you’re using and what pages you click on.
We use cookies to:
- track aspects of user visits, including the length of a user’s visit, their browser, geographic location and the use of the search facility on this website
- remember users selected contrast and/or text resizing style preferences for this website
- record a user’s video preferences for our YouTube videos viewed on this website.
Types of Cookie
First party cookies
| Cookie name | About this cookie (where known) | Expires |
| __utma | This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie lasts for 2 years by default and distinguishes between users and sessions. It it used to calculate new and returning visitor statistics. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† | 2 years from set/update |
| __utmb | This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie determines new sessions and visits and expires after 30 minutes. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† | 30 minutes from set/update |
| __utmc | This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. It is set to enable interoperability with the older version of Google Analytics code known as Urchin. In this older versions this was used in combination with the __utmb cookie to identify new sessions/ visits for returning visitors. When used by Google Analytics this is always a Session cookie which is destroyed when the user closes their browser. | |
| __utmz | This is one of the four main cookies set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour measure of site performance. This cookie identifies the source of traffic to the site – so Google Analytics can tell site owners where visitors came from when arriving on the site. The cookie has a life span of 6 months and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.† | 6 months from set/update |
| __utmv | This is an optional additional cookie set by the Google Analytics service which enables website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. This cookie is used when site owners create custom visitor-level variables for customising what can be measured. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | 0 days |
| testSessionCookie | ||
| AGLogon | Stores login details if the “Remember me” option has been selected. | 90 days |
| ANONID | Anonymous session cookie. Used where information you have entered needs to be used over several pages. For example the contact form and letter generators. | When the user exits the browser |
| eprivacy | Stops the banner message about cookies showing on every page. It is only shown on the first three pages visited, or until it is closed. | 1 year |
| extent | Used to remember which part are of the UK you prefer to view information in. This allows you to skip the splash screen. | 1 month |
| _lgn_cscv2 | ||
| t | ||
| REQURL | Allows a user to be sent to the correct page following a login. | At end of session |
| SESSION | Required so users can log in. | At end of session |
Third party cookies from .twitter.com, twitter.com
Twitter does not currently provide information on the use of specific cookies.
| Cookie name | Expires |
| _twitter_sess | 0 days |
| k | 7 days |
| guest_id | 331 days |
| remember_checked | 3254 days |
| remember_checked_on | 3254 days |
| secure_session | 6906 days |
| twll | 3254 days |
| auth_token | 6906 days |
| pid | 547 days |
| lang | 0 days |
Third party cookies from .google.com, .youtube.com
| Cookie name | About this cookie (where known) | Expires |
| SID | This cookie is used by Google in combination with HSID to verify a Google user account and most recent login time. | 3646 days |
| NID | 183 days | |
| PREF | This is a common Google cookie, used across several of their services. Stores user preference and can be used to personalise ads on google searches. | 730 days |
| APSID | 331 days | |
| HSID | Used by Google in combination with SID to verify Google user account and most recent login time. | 331 days |
| SAPISID | 331 days | |
| SSID | 331 days | |
| LOGIN_INFO | 3650 days | |
| lwb | 7 days | |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | This cookie is used as a unique identifier to track viewing of videos. | 241 days |
Third party cookies from plusone.google.com, apis.google.com, plus.google.com
| Cookie name | Expires |
| BEAT | 1 day |
| ULS | 0 days |
| OTZ | 30 days |
Third party cookies from accounts.google.com
| Cookie name | Expires |
| GAPS | 730 days |
Third party cookies from .facebook.com
| Cookie name | Expires |
| wd | 0 days |
| datr | 331 days |
| lu | 331 days |
† For more information on Google Analytics tracking: http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/concepts/gaConceptsCookies.html
How you can manage or delete cookies
If you don’t want to receive cookies, you can change settings in your web browser so that your browser tells you when cookies are sent to it or you can refuse cookies altogether. You can also delete cookies that have already been set.
If you wish to restrict or block web browser cookies, the Help function within your browser should tell you how. Alternatively, these sites can provide more information on how to do this: