Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights under UK law.
1. Who We Are
FindPetrol.uk is a free fuel price comparison website for UK consumers. References to "we", "us", or "our" mean the operator of this website. For questions about this policy, contact us at [email protected].
2. What Data We Collect
You do not need to create an account to use FindPetrol.uk. We collect minimal data:
- Location data — If you grant location permission, your browser sends your GPS coordinates to our server to find nearby stations. We do not store this data; it is used only to service your request and discarded immediately.
- Postcode / search terms — If you search by postcode or town, that query is sent to our server and to the OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding service to look up coordinates. We do not log or store search queries.
- Server logs — Our web server records standard access logs (IP address, page requested, browser type, timestamp). These are retained for up to 30 days for security and diagnostic purposes only.
- Analytics — Only if you accept cookies (see section 4), we collect anonymised usage statistics via Google Analytics 4. This may include pages visited, approximate location (country/region), device type, and session duration. We do not collect names, email addresses, or payment information.
3. How We Use Your Data
We use the data described above solely to:
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.
- Return nearby fuel price results in response to your search
- Diagnose technical issues and maintain site security
- Understand aggregate usage patterns (analytics, with consent only)
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.
4. Cookies
FindPetrol.uk uses the following cookies:
- Essential session cookie — Set by Laravel to maintain your browsing session. This is necessary for the site to function and does not require your consent.
- Consent preference — A
cookie_consentkey stored inlocalStoragerecords whether you accepted or declined analytics. This is not a cookie and is not transmitted to our server. - Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) — Set only if you accept cookies via our consent banner. Used to distinguish users and sessions. Retained for up to 2 years by Google. You can opt out at any time by clicking "Decline" in the cookie banner, or by clearing your browser cookies.
5. Third-Party Services
The following third-party services are used:
- UK Government Fuel Finder (DESNZ) — Fuel price data is fetched from the government's API. See the GOV.UK data access guidance.
- OpenStreetMap / Nominatim — Used to geocode postcodes and town names into coordinates. Your search query may be sent to the Nominatim service. See OSM Foundation Privacy Policy.
- Leaflet / CartoDB tile servers — Map tiles are loaded from CartoDB servers when you view the map. Your IP address is visible to those servers as part of normal HTTP requests.
- Google Analytics 4 — Activated only with your explicit consent. See Google's Privacy Policy.
6. Your Rights (UK GDPR)
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
Because we collect very little personal data and do not retain search queries or location data, there is typically nothing to access or erase beyond server logs. To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected].
- Be informed about how your data is used (this policy)
- Access any personal data we hold about you
- Request correction or erasure of inaccurate data
- Object to or restrict processing
- Withdraw consent for analytics at any time
Because we collect very little personal data and do not retain search queries or location data, there is typically nothing to access or erase beyond server logs. To exercise any of these rights, contact [email protected].
7. Data Retention
Server access logs are retained for up to 30 days. Analytics data (if consent given) is retained by Google for up to 14 months in accordance with our GA4 data retention settings. We do not retain location or search data.
8. Children
FindPetrol.uk is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
10. Contact & Complaints
For privacy-related questions contact us at [email protected]. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.