1. What are cookies and similar technologies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and to provide reporting information. This website also uses local storage and session storage, which work in a similar way but store data directly in your browser rather than in a cookie file.
2. Types of technologies used on this website
This website uses two categories of technology:
- Strictly necessary — required for the site to function. These do not require consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
- Analytics — used to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. These are only loaded after you give explicit consent via our cookie banner, in accordance with PECR and the UK GDPR.
3. Strictly necessary technologies
The following are essential for the website to operate and are set automatically. They do not collect analytics data and are not shared with any third party.
| Name | Storage | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| vda_cookie_consent | localStorage | Remembers your cookie consent decision so the banner does not reappear. | Persistent (until you clear browser data) |
| vda_pending_conversion | sessionStorage | Briefly remembers that a form was submitted so the confirmation page can count it once. Prevents double-counting on reload. | Session only (cleared when the tab closes) |
4. Analytics cookies and technologies
We use two analytics providers to help us understand how visitors use our website. Neither provider's scripts, cookies, or tracking pixels are loaded until you explicitly accept analytics cookies via our cookie banner. If you reject cookies or do not make a choice, no analytics data is collected and no request is sent to either provider.
The legal basis for processing analytics data is your consent under PECR Regulation 6 and UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a). You can withdraw consent at any time (see Section 6 below).
4.1 Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised information about how visitors use our site, such as the pages visited, the duration of visits, and interactions with buttons and forms. We do not use Google Advertising features, so no advertising cookies are set and no data is shared with Google's advertising services.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Google LLC (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) |
| Purpose | Website usage analytics — page views, session duration, and interaction events (button clicks, form submissions, phone/email link clicks). |
| Data collected | Anonymised and aggregated usage data: pages viewed, time on page, approximate location (country/city derived from truncated IP), browser type, device type, and referral source. Events we track: page_view, phone_click, email_click, whatsapp_click, cta_click, service_click, form_submit, generate_lead. |
| Cookies set | _ga (distinguishes users, up to 13 months), _ga_<container-id> (maintains session state, up to 13 months). |
| Legal basis | Consent — PECR Regulation 6 and UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) |
| Data retention | Data is retained by Google according to its default retention settings. See Google's data retention policy. |
| International transfer | Data may be transferred to the USA. Google participates in the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. See Google's privacy policy. |
4.2 Microsoft Clarity
We use Microsoft Clarity to generate anonymised heatmaps and session recordings of how visitors navigate the site. This helps us identify usability issues and improve the user experience.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft Corporation (One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052, USA) |
| Purpose | User behaviour analytics — heatmaps, session recordings, and click/scroll tracking to improve usability. |
| Data collected | Anonymised interaction data: mouse movements, clicks, scroll depth, page navigation, and device/browser type. Clarity may use IP addresses for approximate geolocation but does not store them. Personal data such as names and emails are not collected by Clarity. |
| Cookies set | CLID (Clarity user identifier, up to 13 months), _clck (session linkage, up to 1 year), _clsk (session activity, 1 day). |
| Legal basis | Consent — PECR Regulation 6 and UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) |
| Data retention | Session recordings and heatmaps are retained by Microsoft for up to 13 months. See Microsoft's Clarity privacy documentation. |
| International transfer | Data may be transferred to the USA. Microsoft participates in the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. See Microsoft's privacy statement. |
5. How consent works
When you first visit our website, a cookie banner appears at the bottom of the screen. You can choose to Accept all or Reject all analytics cookies.
- If you accept, the GA4 and Clarity scripts are loaded after a short delay (once the browser is idle) and their cookies are set.
- If you reject or do not make a choice, no analytics scripts are loaded, no analytics cookies are set, and no data is sent to Google or Microsoft.
Your consent decision is stored in your browser's local storage under the key vda_cookie_consent. It persists across visits until you clear your browser data or change your decision.
6. Withdrawing consent
You can withdraw your consent at any time by clearing your browser's stored data for this website (local storage and cookies), which will remove the consent record and prevent any further analytics tracking. The cookie banner will reappear the next time you visit.
To clear data for a specific site in Chrome: go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → View permissions and data stored across sites, then remove data for vdaexteriorcleaning.co.uk. Similar options are available in Firefox, Safari, and Edge settings.
7. Your rights under UK GDPR
Under the UK GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict the processing of your personal data, as well as the right to data portability and the right to object. Because the analytics data we collect is anonymised and aggregated, it generally does not identify you personally. However, you may exercise these rights by contacting us at info@vdaexteriorcleaning.co.uk.
8. Managing cookies in your browser
Most browsers let you control and delete cookies through their settings. For detailed guidance, see aboutcookies.org or the ICO's guidance on cookies.
9. Changes to this policy
If we add, remove, or change the analytics providers or cookies used on this website, we will update this policy and revise the "Last updated" date at the top of the page.
10. Contact
VDA Exterior Cleaning is the trading name of Olti Meca, a sole trader. Questions about cookies on this site: info@vdaexteriorcleaning.co.uk.
Contact details:
Email: info@vdaexteriorcleaning.co.uk
Phone: 07777 132814
If you need to contact us by post regarding privacy matters, please email us and we will provide the appropriate correspondence address where necessary.