Cookies

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of data which are downloaded to your computer, or other device, when you visit a website. They are useful because they allow us to recognise your computer and improve your experience on our websites. Some cookies are also needed for the operation of our websites.

Last updated: 5 September 2024

Necessary cookies

Cookie Cookie name Expiry Purpose Type
Cookies message  CookieAcceptance 1 year Used to store acceptance of cookies. Necessary
Cloudflare cf_clearance 30 minutes Used by Cloudflare (the content network) to identify trusted web traffic, and protect our website against malicious activity. This does not contain any user identification information. Necessary
__cf_bm 30 minutes Used by Cloudflare (the content network) to identify trusted web traffic, and protect our website against malicious activity. This does not contain any user identification information. Necessary
__cflb 1 day Used by Cloudflare (the content network) for load balancing. This does not contain any user identification information. Necessary
Website search SECFOSSESSID Session Used by the website to store an anonymous session ID. This enables our search and content filters to function, and isn't used for analytics purposes. Necessary
Online complaint forms .EgressSecureForms.Culture Session Used by Egress to help display our form in the language set by the browser or device. Used if you use our online complaint forms
.AspNetCore.Antiforgery.* Session Used by Egress to prevent actions on our forms from malicious sources.
_GRECAPTCHA 180 days Used by Google to identify bots to protect our website.
Email newsletter  LP-33A5C2715129B9305GFD51688B59D701FBAD 30 days Used on our email newsletter subscription form to store a unique ID. Used if you sign up to our email newsletter
Visme PHPSESSID Session Used to display an embedded chart during a session. Used if you view a page with an interactive chart
Recite Me Recite_Session Session Used to open the Recite Me toolbar. Used if you open the Recite Me accessibility toolbar
Recite.Persist 1 Year Used to display the toolbar across all pages.
Recite.Preferences 1 year Used to save your personal toolbar preferences, such as language.

Functional cookies

Cookie Cookie name Expiry Purpose Type
Website story banner hide_featured_story_%s 90 days Used to store preferences around showing and hiding featured story banners. Functional

Analytics cookies

Cookie Cookie name Expiry Purpose Type
Google Analytics _ga_* 400 days Used by Google Analytics to identify and track an individual session with your device. Analytics
_ga 400 days Analytics
_gat_UA-* Session Analytics
_gat* 1 minute Used by Google Analytics to read and filter requests from bots. Analytics
_gid 1 day Used by Google Analytics to distinguish visitors to our website. Analytics
Hotjar _hjIncludedInSessionSample_* 2 minutes Used by Hotjar to determine if a user is included in the data sampling. Analytics
_hjIncludedInPageviewSample 2 minutes Analytics
_hjSessionUser_* 1 year Used by Hotjar to link repeated visits to the same user. Analytics
_hjSession_* Session Used by Hotjar to ensure all requests in a session are attributed to the same session. Analytics
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress 30 minutes Used by Hotjar to to detect the first pageview session of a user. Analytics
_hjFirstSeen 30 minutes Used by Hotjar to identify new user sessions. Analytics
_BEAMER_USER_ID_* 1 year Used by Hotjar to to set and store an ID for a user. Analytics
_hjDonePolls 1 year Used by Hotjar to ensure that the same Survey does not reappear if it has already been filled in. Analytics – and only used if complete a Survey
_hjMinimizedPolls 1 year Used by Hotjar to ensure that a Survey stays minimised once it has been minimised. Analytics – and only used if you minimise a Survey
YouTube VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE 6 months Used by YouTube as a identifier to track video viewing. Analytics – and only used if you watch a video on our website
YSC Session Used by YouTube to track a users interaction. Analytics – and only used if you watch a video on our website