Privacy Policy
In this page we will provide information about the way we use and process personal data in order to provide services to you.
Privacy Policy
Westgate Laboratories is committed to protecting the privacy of those who use our website and the confidentiality of personal information which is provided to us. This privacy policy explains how we use the information we collect about you.
- EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018
We aim to comply with the Act in all dealings with your personal data.
Westgate Labs is a postal worm test service that processes customer data and provides advice to enable animal carers, keepers and owners to manage parasite control.
- Communicating with you:
When you access our services as a customer we may need to send you letters, emails or text messages or telephone you to provide services to you and/or verify or confirm details of the services requested. You are not able to opt out from these notices unless you cease to be a registered customer with us.
As a registered customer we may also send you mail, email or text message communications from time to time regarding any technical, administrative or legal notices important to the services that we consider essential. These will not be marketing messages.
With your permission we may also use the personal data supplied to us to send reminders by email, text message or post with information about when your next routine tests are due. With your permission we may send you information and marketing messages by mail and email about related services which may be of interest to you.
You are able to manage your preferences to receiving these notices at any time, either by logging in to your online account and amending these in your profile, or by following the instructions on the relevant messages, or by contacting us in the laboratory.
These preferences are stored on your customer account.
- Categories of data
We will store data to enable us to provide services as indicated above. We will also store details of the animals you have tested with us and information you have provided to help us give you worming advice such as name, age, weight, height, breed and health status as well as a record of test results.
Identifying information will be stored for a maximum of 10 years after which time your details will be deleted from our systems.
Data such as animal test results may be stripped of any identifying characteristics such as owner name and used in perpetuity for research purposes.
- Information stored
Customer information is stored on our website and database which is hosted on secure Microsoft Azure Cloud servers to maximise data security. All our servers are dedicated and maintained by Microsoft. We keep them up to date with the latest system fixes. All access is restricted and logged.
Offline we have data management practices in place to ensure no paper versions of details are stored longer than 30 days and will be disposed of securely.
Any credit/debit card details that you provide for payment will not be stored by us and will be disposed of securely.
- Exercising your right to be forgotten
If at any time you wish to remove consent for us to store your data then please contact us in writing with your request. We will ensure that all records of your personal data are removed and will endeavour to fulfil your request within 30 days.
You can do this by emailing [email protected] or by letter to
Data Protection, Westgate Labs, Middle Stobswood, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3AZ.
Requests to be forgotten can only be fulfilled in writing. By removing your details from our systems you will no longer be able to login to your online account at www.westgatelabs.co.uk or access any animal results history you may have either by phone, post or email, or receive reminders for your animals about when your next routine tests are due.
- Information shared:
We hate unsolicited mail too and will never share, sell, rent or otherwise disclose your personal data to any third party, without your consent, except in the following circumstances :
We will disclose your personal data to any appropriate investigative third party if we believe that you are involved in any illegal or harmful conduct or if we are required to do so by law or we believe that such action is necessary to either: (1) comply with the law or with legal process; (2) protect and defend our rights and property or that of our users; (3) prevent fraud; (4) protect against abuse, misuse or unauthorised use of our services; or (5) protect the personal safety or property of our customers or the public (eg. if you provide false or deceptive information about yourself or attempt to pose as someone else, we will disclose such information about you as we have to assist any type of investigation into your actions).
We may employ other organisations to provide services for us, including for example, processing of data and credit or debit card payments. These organisations have access to the personal data needed to perform their functions and not for any other purposes. They are bound by confidentiality agreements not to disclose any information for any other purpose.
We may at any time transfer the website, including stored personal data, to a third party to manage some or all of our business whether by merger, acquisition, reorganisation or otherwise.
- Cookies:
Computer cookies are text files downloaded onto your computer by websites you visit on the internet. Cookies are commonly used to collect and store information about users, providing meaningful information back to the website visited. Our website uses a variety of cookies that collect non identifying information about our website users for these analytical purposes.
- Data Security:
We consider that the protection of the personal data we process is an important responsibility and aim to comply with the terms of GDPR. We implement data security safeguards based upon generally accepted industry standards to protect personal data from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration, or loss.
We do however ask users to be aware that no data security techniques are 100% effective and where information is transmitted over the internet, there is always some element of risk involved in sending personal data. We cannot and do not therefore guarantee the security of personal data.
The data controller is Westgate Laboratories Ltd. Registered Company No. 4700568. For more information please contact our data protection officer on [email protected] or call our office on 01670 791994.
Last updated 22/05/18