What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are widely used by website owners to make their sites work correctly, to work more efficiently, and to provide reporting information.
Cookies set by the website owner - in this case, WaterLeakFinder - are called "first-party cookies". Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called "third-party cookies". Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through a website, such as analytics, advertising and interactive content.
Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user. However, personal data that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies. For more information about how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.
How We Use Cookies
WaterLeakFinder uses cookies and similar technologies to make this website work correctly and to help us understand how visitors use it. Specifically, we use cookies to:
- Ensure the website loads and functions correctly on your device
- Remember your cookie consent preference so we do not ask you repeatedly
- Understand which pages visitors view, how long they spend on each page, and how they navigate around the site
- Identify how visitors arrive at the site - for example, from a search engine or a referring website
- Improve our content and navigation based on real usage data
- Measure the effectiveness of our organic search and content strategy
We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or to build profiles of individual users for remarketing purposes. We do not sell any data collected via cookies to third parties.
Types of Cookie We Use
We may use some or all of the following types of cookie on waterleakfinder.co.uk. The types currently in use are detailed in the full cookie list in Section 4.
Essential to the operation of this website. These cookies support core functions such as page loading, security and cookie consent management. They cannot be disabled without breaking the site. No personal data is stored.
Help us understand how visitors interact with the site - which pages are viewed, how long visitors stay and any errors encountered. This information is used in aggregate to improve the site. Data is anonymised where possible.
Enable us to remember your preferences and provide a more personalised experience on return visits - for example, your saved settings or previously viewed content.
Temporary cookies that exist only for the duration of your browser session. They are automatically deleted when you close your browser and are used to keep the site functioning during your visit.
Remain on your device for a set period after you close your browser. They are activated each time you return to the site. The expiry date for each persistent cookie is shown in the cookie list in Section 4.
Placed by external services that provide functionality on this site - primarily Google Analytics. These are used to collect anonymised usage data. Please see Section 5 for full details.
Cookies Used on This Site
The table below lists all cookies currently in use on waterleakfinder.co.uk, together with their purpose, type, and expiry period.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Type | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Analytics | Registers a unique ID used to generate statistical data about how visitors use the site. Data is anonymised. | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics (GA4) | Analytics | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state and distinguish users. Collects anonymised usage data. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Analytics | Registers a unique ID to generate statistical data on how visitors use the site. | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Analytics | Used to throttle the request rate - limits data collection on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-* | WaterLeakFinder | Strictly Necessary | Stores your cookie consent preferences so the consent banner is not shown on every page visit. | 1 year |
| viewed_cookie_policy | WaterLeakFinder | Strictly Necessary | Records whether the user has acknowledged the cookie consent notification. | 1 year |
| wordpress_* / wp-settings-* | WordPress | Strictly Necessary | Standard WordPress session and preference cookies used to maintain site functionality. Not used to track visitors. | Session / 1 year |
Third-Party Cookies
When you visit waterleakfinder.co.uk, you may also receive certain third-party cookies placed by external services that we use to improve this site. These are cookies set by companies other than WaterLeakFinder.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use this website. Google Analytics collects anonymised data about page views, session duration, device type and geographic region. This data is processed by Google and is subject to Google's own privacy policy, available at policies.google.com/privacy.
We have configured Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is never stored. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
WordPress & Plugins
This website is built on the WordPress platform. WordPress and certain plugins may set technical cookies to maintain basic site functionality. These are strictly necessary and do not collect personally identifiable information about visitors.
Your Consent
When you first visit waterleakfinder.co.uk, you will see a cookie consent notification. By continuing to browse the site or by clicking to accept, you are consenting to the use of non-essential cookies (such as analytics cookies) as described in this policy.
Strictly necessary cookies do not require your consent as they are essential to the functioning of the website. All other cookies require your consent before they are placed on your device.
You may withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time. To do this, you can clear your browser cookies and reload the page - the consent banner will reappear and allow you to make a new choice. You can also manage cookies directly through your browser settings (see Section 7).
Managing and Disabling Cookies
You can choose to enable, disable or delete cookies at any time through your internet browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse all cookies or to refuse only third-party cookies. You can also delete cookies that have already been set.
Please be aware that disabling or deleting cookies may affect the functionality of this website and other websites you visit. Some features may not work correctly if cookies are disabled.
How to manage cookies in your browser
Use the links below for step-by-step instructions for all major browsers:
Opt out of Google Analytics specifically
To prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits to this and other websites, you can install the free Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. This works across all websites that use Google Analytics.
Changes to This Cookies Policy
We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time as our use of cookies changes, or to reflect changes in legislation or guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office. Any changes will be published on this page and the "Last updated" date at the top will be revised accordingly.
We encourage you to check this page periodically to stay informed about which cookies we use and why. In the event of any conflict between the current version of this Cookies Policy and any previous version, the current version shall prevail.
Your continued use of waterleakfinder.co.uk after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Cookies Policy or about how we use cookies on waterleakfinder.co.uk, please get in touch. You may also wish to refer to our Privacy Policy for more information about how we handle your personal data generally.
Get in Touch About Cookies
Email us at hi@waterleakfinder.co.uk or use our contact form. Please include "Cookies" in your subject line so we can direct your message promptly.