When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These pieces of information are used to improve services for you through, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast
You can manage these small files yourself and learn more about them through "Internet browser cookies - what they are and how to manage them" or visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to control cookies on a wide variety of browsers.
Our use of cookies
We use a variety of cookies on our websites and these are detailed below.
First-party cookies
Website analytic providers such as Google Analytics set cookies to help accurately estimate the number of visitors to the website and volumes of usage.
| Name |
Purpose |
Content |
Expires |
| _utma |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
2 years |
| _utmb |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
30 minutes |
| _utmc |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| _utmz |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
6 months |
| ASP.NET |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| cookie |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| nmstat |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
1000 days after users last visit |
| request_token |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| WCN_status |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| JSESSIONID |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| comment_author |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
User name entered |
<1 year |
| comment_author_email |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
User email address entered |
<1 year |
| comment_author_url |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
User website address entered |
<1 year |
| subscribe_checkbox |
Once you have logged on with username and password, to make it easier to log in again if you choose ‘Remember me’ |
“checked” or “unchecked” depending on user’s wish to be notified of further comments on the article |
<1 year |
| |
|
|
|
For further details on the cookies set by Google Analytics, please refer to the Google Code website.
Third-party cookies
Some sites such as Google maps and YouTube use cookies to help deliver better services, for example remembering where you were on a map.
| Name |
Purpose |
Content |
Expires |
| NID |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
24 hours |
| PREF |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
2 years |
| SNID |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
randomly generated number |
2 years |
| PREF |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
2 years |
| _utma |
|
randomly generated number |
2 years |
| _utmb |
|
randomly generated number |
1 hour |
| _utmc |
|
randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| _utmz |
|
randomly generated number |
6 months |
| P_16976035 |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
1 hour |
| TS54026e |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| ep202 |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
1 year |
| ASP.NET_SessionID |
So service is available when you want it and fast, we measure numbers and volumes of visitors |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| k |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
IP address and randomly generated number |
7 days |
| VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
9 months |
| use_hitbox |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
When user exits browser |
| PREF |
When we provide links to third party services you find useful, they may place a cookie on your device to make their service easier to use. |
Randomly generated number |
10 years |
How to control and delete cookies
We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you.
However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our websites, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how.
Alternatively, you may wish to visit http://www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your machine as well as more general information about cookies.
Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.
If you wish to view your cookie code, just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie. For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual.
To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our website, please refer to their websites for further information.