Last updated: 1 January 2026
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to improve the user experience, and to provide information to the website owner about how visitors use the site.
Cookies can be “persistent” (they remain on your device until they expire or you delete them) or “session” cookies (they are deleted when you close your browser). They can be set by the website you are visiting (“first-party cookies”) or by third-party services that the website uses (“third-party cookies”).
2. Our Legal Basis for Using Cookies
Our use of cookies is governed by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). In line with guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), we obtain your consent before placing any cookies on your device that are not strictly necessary for the functioning of our website.
Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent, as they are essential for the website to operate correctly. All other cookies — including analytics and marketing cookies — are only set after you have given your informed consent through our cookie consent mechanism.
3. Cookies We Use
The following tables describe the categories of cookies used on our website, their purpose, and their duration.
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work without them.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| cookie_consent | Stores your cookie consent preferences so we do not ask you again on each visit. | 1 year |
| __next_* | Technical cookies required for the website framework to function correctly. | Session |
3.2 Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use our website. These cookies collect information about which pages you visit, how long you spend on the site, how you arrived at the site, and any errors you encounter. All data collected is aggregated and anonymous — we cannot identify individual visitors from this data.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Used by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state across page views. | 2 years |
3.3 Marketing Cookies
These cookies are set through Google Tag Manager (GTM) and may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertising on other sites. They work by uniquely identifying your browser and device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will not experience targeted advertising from us.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _gcl_au | Used by Google AdSense to understand user interaction with advertising. | 3 months |
| _fbp | Used by Facebook to deliver advertising when users are on Facebook or a platform powered by Facebook advertising. | 3 months |
4. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that appear on our pages. We do not control the setting of these cookies. The third-party services we use include:
- Google Analytics (GA4): For website usage analysis. Google's privacy policy can be found at policies.google.com/privacy.
- Google Tag Manager (GTM): For managing website tags and tracking scripts. GTM itself does not use cookies, but it deploys tags that may set cookies.
- Google Maps: If embedded on our contact or area pages, Google Maps may set its own cookies. See Google's privacy policy above.
5. How to Manage Cookies
You can control and manage cookies in several ways. Please be aware that removing or blocking cookies may affect your user experience and some functionality may no longer be available.
Browser Settings
Most browsers allow you to view, manage, and delete cookies through their settings. You can configure your browser to block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, or alert you when a cookie is being set. The following links provide guidance for the most common browsers:
Opting Out of Analytics
You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
6. Your Rights and Further Information
Our use of cookies is regulated under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the UK GDPR. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's independent authority responsible for upholding information rights and enforcing data protection legislation, including the rules on cookies.
For more information about cookies and your rights, you can visit the ICO's guidance on cookies at ico.org.uk.
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us at info@mayfairpaintersdecorators.co.uk or call 020 7946 0958.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this cookie policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies. The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last updated.