We, Firth Ground Systems Ltd., collect and use personal data that you may provide to us through our website https.firthgs.com (“Our Website”) in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Any personal data that you may provide and that we may collect will only be used as permitted by English law.

Please carefully read and understand this Privacy Policy.

Information About Us

Our website is maintained by Firth Ground Systems Ltd a company limited by liability and registered in England and Wales, no 2090258.

Our registered address is 71 Howard Street, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE30 1AF

If you need to contact us,  please do so in writing a the above address or by using our contact form on Our Website.

Scope of this Policy

This Privacy Policy applies only users of Our Website. Our Website may contain links to other websites and we have no control over how your data may be collected, stored, or used by other websites.

Personal Data definition

Personal data is defined by the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 (“the Data Protection Legislation”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

We interpret “personal data” as any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also includes less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

Your Rights

Under the Data Protection Legislation, users of Our Website have the following rights, which we will always endeavour to uphold:

The right to have your personal data corrected if any of the personal data held by us relating to you is inaccurate or incomplete.

The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any personal data that we may hold relating to you.

The right to restrict the processing of your personal data and the right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.

The right to withdraw consent. If we are relying on your consent as the legal basis for using your personal data, you are free to withdraw that consent at any time.

The right to data portability. If you have provided personal data to us directly, and we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.

Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details above.

If any of the personal data that we hold about you changes, please keep us informed as long as we may have that data.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about the use we make of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. We would welcome the opportunity to resolve your concerns, however, so please contact us using the details provided above.

The Personal Data that We Collect and How

Subject to the following, we do not collect any personal data from you. We do not place cookies on your computer or device, and we do not use any other means of data collection.

Our Website automatically collects certain information, if available, including your IP address, the type of browser you are using, and certain other non-personal data about your computer or device such as your operating system type or version, and display resolution.

If you send us an email, or complete our contact form, we may collect your name, your email address, and any other information which you choose to give us. For the purposes of the Data Protection Legislation, we are the data controller responsible for such personal data.

The lawful basis under the Data Protection Legislation that allows us to use such information is article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR which allows us to process personal data when it is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, in this case, the proper operation and functionality of Our Website. If you contact us as described above, you will be required to consent to our use of your personal data to contact you. In this case, our lawful basis for using your personal data will be article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR, which allows us to use your personal data with your consent for a particular purpose or purposes.

Our use of your Personal Data

Where we collect personal data, it will be processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. We will comply with our obligations and safeguard your rights under the Data Protection Legislation.

We do not generally collect any personal data directly from you, but if you contact us and we obtain your personal details from your email or contact form, we may use them to respond to you. The other technical data referred to above is necessary for the technical operation of Our Website.

Any and all emails containing your personal data will be deleted no later than five years after the information is received by us and no other personal data will be retained for any longer than is necessary.

We will not share any of your personal data with any third parties for any purposes.

How and Where We Store Your Data

We will usually store your personal data in the UK. This means that it is fully protected under the Data Protection Legislation.

We may store some or all of your personal data in countries outside of the UK where our email servers may be located. We will take additional steps in order to ensure that your personal data is treated just as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the Data Protection Legislation.

Sharing of Personal Data

We will not share any of your personal data with any third parties for any purposes, subject to the following exception.

If we sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or assets, your personal data may be transferred to a third party. Any new owner of our business may continue to use your personal data in the same way that we have used it, as specified in this Privacy Policy (i.e. to communicate with you).

In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

How You Can Access Your Personal Data

If you want to know what personal data that we have relating to you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request”.

Please make any subject access requests in writing to the postal addresses provided above.

We do not usually charge you to respond to your subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date that we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

How to Contact Us

To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please contact us in writing at our registered office stated above or by using our contact form.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.

Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Website and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Website following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date. This Privacy Policy was last updated on 1 June 2024