Privacy Policy

Last updated:

This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what your rights are. We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Big Ben's Towing & Recovery, Great Lumley, County Durham, DH3 4HU. We are the data controller for the personal data we collect.
Contact: info@bigbenstowingandrecovery.co.uk · 07754 984 147

2. What we collect

• Contact details — name, phone number, email address.
• Job details — pickup & drop-off addresses, vehicle make, model, registration, condition.
• Payment details — handled by Stripe; we never see or store full card numbers.
• Site usage — strictly necessary cookies to keep the site working. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies unless you opt in.

3. Why we collect it (and our lawful basis)

• Performing the contract — to deliver the recovery, transport or scrap collection you booked.
• Legitimate interests — to follow up on quotes, contact you about your booking, and improve our service.
• Legal obligation — to notify the DVLA when we collect a vehicle for scrapping, and to keep records for tax purposes.
• Consent — if you opt in to marketing or non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

4. Who we share it with

• EMR Vehicle Recycling — when you instruct us to scrap your vehicle.
• DVLA — for end-of-life vehicle notifications.
• Stripe — for payment processing.
• HMRC — for tax records, where required.
• Insurers — only if you ask us to liaise with your motor insurer about an accident recovery.

We do not sell your data and we do not share it with marketing companies.

5. How long we keep it

• Quote-only enquiries that don't proceed: up to 6 months.
• Completed jobs: 6 years from the date of the job, in line with HMRC record-keeping requirements.
• Scrap collection records: indefinitely, for traceability under end-of-life vehicle regulations.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• have inaccurate data corrected;
• have data erased where there's no good reason for us to keep it;
• restrict or object to certain processing;
• port your data to another provider;
• withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis we rely on.

To exercise any of these rights, email info@bigbenstowingandrecovery.co.uk. We aim to respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies

This site uses one cookie ("bb_cookie_ok") — purely to remember that you've dismissed the cookie banner. There are no analytics, advertising or third-party tracking cookies set by default. If we add Google Analytics or advertising in future, you'll see a cookie consent banner with a clear opt-in.

8. Complaints

If you're not happy with how we've handled your data, please let us know first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

📞 0303 123 1113 · 🌐 ico.org.uk