Privacy Policy

Who we are

MarineServicesUK is an independent UK information website providing guidance for boat owners on subjects including boat storage, marine engine servicing and repairs, maintenance and boat transport.

MarineServicesUK is operated by MWD Hosting. For the purposes of UK data protection law, MWD Hosting is responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

Privacy enquiries can be sent to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Information you provide through the contact form

If you contact MarineServicesUK through the website contact form, we may collect:

• Your name
• Your email address
• The subject or topic selected for your enquiry
• The contents of your message
• Any other information you voluntarily include

This information is provided by you so that we can receive, assess and respond to your enquiry.

How contact-form messages are handled

Information submitted through the MarineServicesUK contact form is delivered to an authorised email account so that the enquiry can be reviewed and, where appropriate, answered.

Contact-form messages are not published and are not made publicly accessible through the website.

The contact form may also process limited technical information needed to validate the submission, maintain session security, prevent spam, apply submission-rate limits and protect the website from automated or abusive use.

Copies of messages or associated records may exist within authorised email accounts, hosting systems, backups, security logs and normal business records.

Marine business enquiries and leads

MarineServicesUK may provide information about independent marine businesses and service providers. However, information submitted through the general contact form is not automatically disclosed to unrelated marine businesses for their own marketing purposes.

If MarineServicesUK introduces a service that allows an enquiry to be sent or referred to a marine service provider, users will be informed where appropriate and this Privacy Policy will be updated to explain how that information is handled.

Technical and security information

Our website, hosting platform and security systems may process limited technical information when the site is accessed or a form is submitted. This may include:

• IP address
• Browser and device information
• Date and time of access
• Session and form-submission information
• Anti-spam and rate-limiting information
• Security, diagnostic and error logs

This information may be used to operate the website, maintain security, prevent spam and misuse, diagnose technical problems and investigate suspected security incidents.

How we use personal information

Personal information may be used to:

• Receive, assess and respond to enquiries
• Provide clarification about information published on the website
• Consider suggested corrections or content updates
• Maintain appropriate records of correspondence
• Operate and secure the website and contact form
• Prevent spam, fraud, misuse and automated submissions
• Investigate technical or security incidents
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary
• Comply with applicable legal or regulatory obligations

We do not sell or rent personal information.

Information submitted through the contact form is not used for unrelated unsolicited email marketing.

Our lawful basis for processing

We generally process contact-form, correspondence and website-security information where this is necessary for our legitimate interests in operating MarineServicesUK, responding to enquiries, maintaining appropriate records and protecting the website and its users.

Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal requirement, information may also be processed on the basis of a legal obligation.

Who may process or receive information

Information may be processed by organisations that help us operate, maintain, communicate through or secure MarineServicesUK, including:

• Website hosting providers
• Email service providers
• Website maintenance and technical-support providers
• Website security and malware-monitoring providers
• Backup and infrastructure providers
• Professional advisers where reasonably necessary
• Regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where legally required

Such organisations should only receive or process information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant service or legal requirement.

We do not provide contact-form information to unrelated businesses for their own advertising or unsolicited marketing.

How long we keep information

Contact correspondence will normally be retained for up to 12 months after the most recent communication, unless there is a reasonable need to retain it for longer.

Information may be retained for a longer period where reasonably necessary to:

• Deal with an ongoing enquiry or complaint
• Prevent or investigate misuse or fraud
• Maintain website or account security
• Establish, exercise or defend a legal claim
• Comply with a legal or regulatory obligation

Technical and security records may be retained according to the normal retention periods used by the hosting, email, backup and security systems involved.

How we protect your information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, loss, disclosure or misuse.

The MarineServicesUK contact form and website use measures including server-side validation, Joomla session protection, anti-spam controls, submission-rate limiting and website security monitoring.

We deliberately do not publish detailed information about the internal operation of security controls.

No method of transmitting or storing information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Cookies and session technology

MarineServicesUK may use strictly necessary cookies or session technology required for Joomla functionality, website security and safe operation of the contact form.

This may include technology used to maintain a secure session, validate form submissions and protect against forged, automated or abusive requests.

Strictly necessary technology is used to operate and secure the website rather than for behavioural advertising.

If optional analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies are introduced, any consent required by applicable law will be obtained before those technologies are activated.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

International processing

Some hosting, email, security, backup or technical service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where UK data protection law requires additional safeguards for an international transfer, appropriate contractual or other lawful transfer arrangements will be used.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the type of processing involved, you may have the right to:

• Ask whether personal information about you is being processed
• Request access to personal information held about you
• Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected
• Request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances
• Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Request transfer of information where the right to data portability applies

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions and do not necessarily apply in every situation.

To make a data protection request, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact us first so that the matter can be investigated.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator responsible for data protection.

External websites and service providers

MarineServicesUK may contain links to external websites, marine businesses and independent service providers.

MarineServicesUK is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites. If you follow an external link or contact another organisation directly, that organisation's own privacy policy will apply to the information you provide to it.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when MarineServicesUK, its contact facilities, service providers or applicable legal requirements change.

The latest version will be published on this page together with the date on which it was last updated.

Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or the use of your personal information can be sent to: