Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 October 2026

This policy explains what personal information the hets.uk website collects, why, and what you can do about it. We have kept it as short and clear as we can.

Who we are

This website, https://hets.uk, is run by Hampshire Engineered Timber Solutions Ltd (HETS), Hill Farm Yard, Droxford Road, Swanmore, SO32 2PY. Registered in England & Wales, company number 16122845. We are responsible for the personal data collected through this website.

If you have any questions about this policy or your data, email info@hets.uk or call 02393 553 509.

What we collect and why

Contact form: your name, email address, subject and message, so we can reply to your enquiry.
Span calculator: the span you are checking and, if you choose to give it, your email address, so we can follow up about your project.
Quotes and enquiries by email or phone: your contact details and the project information you send us, such as drawings, plans and the site location, so we can design your joists and prepare a quote.
Comments: covered in the Comments section below.
Visitor statistics: information about how people use the website. See “Visitor statistics and cookies” below.

We do not sell your personal data.

Why we are allowed to use your data

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful reason for using your personal data. Ours are:

Taking steps towards a contract: when you ask for a design, quote or order, we use your details to provide it.
Legitimate interests: to answer enquiries, run and improve our website and business, and keep the website secure.
Consent: where you agree to it, for example when you give your email address on the span calculator so we can contact you, or for analytics cookies. You can withdraw your consent at any time by emailing info@hets.uk.
Legal obligation: to keep records we are required to keep by law, such as for tax and accounting.

Comments

If you leave a comment on our website, we collect:

the information you enter in the comment form
your IP address
your browser details (the “user agent”), which helps us spot spam

We may send an anonymised code made from your email address (called a hash) to the Gravatar service to check whether you have a Gravatar profile picture. Once your comment is approved, your profile picture is shown publicly next to it. You can read Gravatar’s privacy policy at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Images you upload

If you upload images to the website, please remove any embedded location data (EXIF GPS) first. Anyone visiting the website can download images and read that location data.

Visitor statistics and cookies

Cookies are small files saved by your browser. We use two services to understand how visitors use our website, such as which pages are viewed and how people find us:

Google Analytics, provided by Google. Google’s privacy policy is at https://policies.google.com/privacy. You can opt out using Google’s browser add-on.
Jetpack Stats, provided by Automattic. Automattic’s privacy policy is at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

These services may use cookies and collect information such as your IP address, device and browser type, and the pages you visit. We use this information in summary form to improve the website. When you first visit, a banner asks whether you accept these cookies, and analytics cookies are only set if you agree. You can change your choice at any time using the “Manage consent” button, and our Cookie Policy lists the cookies we use. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings.

The website also uses these cookies:

Leaving a comment: you can choose to save your name, email address and website in a cookie, so you do not have to type them again next time. These cookies last for one year.
Visiting the login page: a temporary cookie checks whether your browser accepts cookies. It holds no personal data and is deleted when you close your browser.
Logging in: cookies save your login and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, or two weeks if you tick “Remember Me”. Screen option cookies last for one year. Login cookies are removed when you log out.
Editing or publishing an article: a cookie records the ID of the article you just edited. It holds no personal data and expires after one day.

Content from other websites

Some pages include content or tools from other websites, such as what3words location tools, YouTube videos, and links to our Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn pages. Embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited the other website directly.

Those websites may collect data about you, use cookies, add their own tracking, and monitor how you interact with the content. This includes tracking you if you have an account with them and are logged in.

Who we share your data with

We only share your data where we need to, with:

Service providers who help us run the website and our business, such as our website host, email providers, Google (analytics) and Automattic (Jetpack statistics, forms and spam checking). They may only use your data to provide their service to us.
Spam detection: comments and form messages may be checked by an automated spam detection service.
Password resets: if you ask to reset your password, your IP address is included in the reset email.
Where the law requires it, for example to comply with a legal request.

Some of these providers, such as Google and Automattic, may process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where this happens, they use safeguards recognised under UK data protection law.

How long we keep your data

Enquiries and quotes: for as long as we need to deal with your enquiry or project, and afterwards for as long as we need to keep business records for legal, tax and accounting purposes.
Comments: we keep comments and their details indefinitely. This lets us recognise and approve your follow-up comments automatically, instead of holding them for review.
Registered users: if you register on our website, we store the personal information in your user profile. You can see, edit or delete it at any time, except your username. Website administrators can also see and edit this information.

Your rights over your data

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
ask us to correct data that is wrong or incomplete
ask us to delete your data
ask us to limit how we use your data, or object to us using it
ask us to send your data to you or another organisation in a usable format
withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent

Some of these rights do not apply in every situation. For example, we may need to keep certain records for legal, tax or security reasons. To make a request, email info@hets.uk. We will reply within one month.

How to complain

If you are unhappy with how we have used your data, please contact us first at info@hets.uk and we will try to put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.