Privacy policy

1. Who we are

This website is operated by Knights Tree Surgery ("we", "us", "our"). We are the data controller for the personal information collected through this website.

2. What information we collect

We only collect information you choose to give us, and a small amount of technical data needed to run the site securely.

• Contact details: your name, email address, phone number and postcode
• Enquiry details: the type of enquiry, the services you're interested in, your preferred contact method and anything you write in the message box
• Callback requests: your name and phone number
• Photos you send us by email or WhatsApp to help us quote
• Technical data: your IP address, browser type and the time of your submission, recorded when you send a form (used only for security and spam prevention)
• Anonymous usage data: which pages are visited, where visits come from, device and browser type – without your IP address or anything that identifies you (see "Cookies and analytics" below)

3. How we use your information

• To respond to your enquiry, arrange a visit and provide a quote
• To carry out and invoice the work you've asked us to do
• To contact you about the work – for example to confirm a date or let you know about a permissions decision
• To keep records we're required to keep for tax, insurance and legal purposes
• To protect the website from spam and abuse

We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for marketing unless you have specifically asked us to.

4. Our lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) we rely on the following bases:

• Contract – processing needed to give you a quote and carry out work you've asked for (Article 6(1)(b))
• Legitimate interests – responding to enquiries, keeping business records and protecting our website (Article 6(1)(f))
• Legal obligation – keeping financial and insurance records for the periods the law requires (Article 6(1)(c))
• Consent – where you've asked us to contact you for a specific reason, which you can withdraw at any time (Article 6(1)(a))

5. Who we share your information with

We share your information only where we need to in order to do the work or run the business:

• Our website hosting and email providers, who process data on our behalf under contract
• Local planning authorities, where we make a TPO or conservation-area application on your behalf (your name and the property address)
• Your insurer, where you've asked us to provide a report for a claim
• Our accountant and insurers, for record-keeping
• Where required by law, or to protect our legal rights

We do not transfer your data outside the UK, except where a provider stores data on servers abroad under UK-approved safeguards.

6. How long we keep your information

• Enquiries that don't lead to work: up to 12 months, then deleted
• Quotes and job records: 6 years after the work, to meet tax and insurance requirements
• Website form submissions stored in our database: as above, and reviewed annually
• Callback requests: deleted once we've returned your call, or after 30 days

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct anything that's wrong
• Ask us to delete your information, where we don't have a legal reason to keep it
• Ask us to stop or limit how we use it
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis
• Receive your information in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, email or call us using the details above. We'll respond within one month.

8. How to complain

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please tell us first and we'll try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk, or 0303 123 1113.

9. Cookies and analytics

We keep cookies to a minimum and never use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. When you first visit we ask whether you're happy for us to use one optional analytics cookie; you can change your mind at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer of every page.

Essential cookies (always on, no consent needed):

• knightstreesurgery_session – keeps your visit together so forms work and expires when you close your browser or after two hours of inactivity
• XSRF-TOKEN – protects forms against cross-site request forgery
• kts_consent – remembers your cookie choice for 12 months

Analytics cookie (only with your consent):

• kts_sid – a random session identifier that expires 30 minutes after your last page view. It lets us count visits and returning visitors more accurately. It is only set if you choose "Accept all" or switch on Analytics under "Manage".

Whether or not you accept the analytics cookie, we measure how the site is used in aggregate using our own privacy-first analytics – no third-party analytics services, no scripts from other companies. For each page view we record the page visited, where the visit came from (for example Google, Facebook or a direct visit, plus any campaign labels in the link), the type of device (mobile, tablet or desktop), the browser and operating system family, and roughly how long the page was open. We also count actions such as tapping our phone number or sending an enquiry form.

We do not store your IP address, your precise location, or anything that would let us identify you or follow you across other websites. Visits are grouped using an anonymous code derived from your connection and browser that changes every day and cannot be turned back into your details. Without the analytics cookie this is done on the basis of our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the website; the optional cookie is used on the basis of your consent.

Raw analytics records are kept for 24 months and then deleted automatically. Aggregated statistics (for example monthly totals) may be kept for longer.

10. How we protect your information

The website is served over HTTPS. Form submissions are stored in a secured database with access limited to the people who need it. We use spam protection on forms and keep the software behind the site up to date.

11. Links to other websites

This site links to WhatsApp and may link to social media and review sites. Those services have their own privacy policies, and we're not responsible for how they use your information.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top tells you when it was last changed.

13. Contact us about privacy