Contents
This policy explains how The Drain Unblocking Company Ltd collects, uses and looks after your personal information when you call, WhatsApp, text or email us, when we do a job for you, or when you visit thedrainunblockingcompany.com.
We are the data controller for this information under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who we are
We are The Drain Unblocking Company Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, company number 11241567, VAT number 289739722. Our registered office is 2 St Margaret’s Road, Cheadle, SK8 2HD.
You can contact us about this policy, or about your information, by email at info@thedrainunblockingcompany.com or by phone or WhatsApp on 07375 521027.
2. The information we collect
We collect and use:
- Contact and job details you give us when you call, WhatsApp, text or email: your name, phone number, email address, the property address, and a description of the problem. We also keep appointment times and notes about the work, so we can quote, book and carry out the job.
- Invoices and accounts. We prepare invoices and keep accounting records in Xero. This includes your name, address, the work done, the amount charged and VAT.
- Card payments. If you pay by card, the payment is taken by SumUp. We do not store your full card number.
- Website information. When you use our website we use Google Analytics (through Site Kit by Google) and Google Ads tags. These collect technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit, and whether you tap Call or WhatsApp. See Cookies below.
- Reviews. If you leave a Google review, that review (including your Google display name and comments) may appear on our website through our Google reviews embed.
We do not run a contact form on the website. You reach us by phone, WhatsApp, SMS or email. We do not collect information from children, and our services are not aimed at anyone under 18.
3. Why we use it
We only use your information where we have a lawful basis to do so:
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Quote, book and carry out drain unblocking, CCTV surveys, repairs and related work, and to contact you about the job | Contract (or steps you ask us to take before a contract) |
| Raise invoices, keep accounting records and meet tax and company-law duties | Legal obligation (including HMRC record-keeping) |
| Keep job notes, deal with queries or complaints, and defend or bring a claim if needed | Legitimate interests (running and protecting our business, and looking after our customers) |
| Understand how the website is used and measure phone and WhatsApp enquiries, using Google Analytics and Google Ads tags | Legitimate interests (improving the site and knowing which enquiries come from it). You can opt out of these cookies; see Cookies |
We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
4. Who we share it with
We do not sell your information. We share it only where it is needed to run the business or where the law requires it:
- Xero, to prepare invoices and keep our accounts.
- SumUp, to take card payments.
- Google, for Google Analytics, Site Kit, Google Ads measurement, and the reviews embed on our site.
- WhatsApp / Meta, when you message us on WhatsApp. Your use of WhatsApp is also covered by WhatsApp’s own privacy policy.
- Our website host and IT providers, as needed to run and secure the site.
- Our insurers, professional advisers or a regulator, if we need to, and any person the law requires us to tell.
Some of these providers (including Google, Meta and SumUp) may process information outside the UK. Where they do, they should rely on a UK adequacy decision or other approved safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or standard contractual clauses.
5. How long we keep it
- Invoices and accounting records are kept for 6 years after the end of the relevant tax year, which is what HMRC requires.
- Job and contact records (including call, WhatsApp, SMS and email notes) are kept for as long as we need them to finish the work and deal with queries or claims, and are then deleted or anonymised.
- Enquiries that do not become a job are not kept longer than we need them.
- Website analytics are kept according to our Google Analytics settings.
6. Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.
- Essential cookies are needed for the site to work, for example a session cookie. These do not require extra consent.
- Google Analytics (through Site Kit by Google) and Google Ads tags set cookies to help us understand how people use the site and to measure calls and WhatsApp taps. These are set by Google.
- The Google reviews embed on some pages may also set third-party cookies from Google.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. That may affect how some parts of the site work. You can also opt out of Google Analytics with Google’s browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, and manage Google ad settings at adssettings.google.com.
We do not currently use a separate cookie-consent banner. If that changes, we will update this section.
7. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the information we hold about you (access)
- ask us to correct inaccurate information
- ask us to delete information, in certain cases
- ask us to restrict how we use it, in certain cases
- object to us using it, including where we rely on legitimate interests
- ask for it to be provided in a portable form, in certain cases
- withdraw consent, where we are relying on consent
These rights are not always absolute. If we cannot do what you ask, we will explain why. To use any of these rights, email info@thedrainunblockingcompany.com or call 07375 521027. We may need to check your identity. We will respond within one month, or let you know if we need more time.
8. How to complain
If you are unhappy with how we have used your information, please contact us first and we will try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection.
ICO website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we change how we work or the law changes. The new version will be published on this page, and the date at the top will change.
10. How to contact us
The Drain Unblocking Company Ltd
2 St Margaret’s Road, Cheadle, SK8 2HD
Email: info@thedrainunblockingcompany.com
Phone or WhatsApp: 07375 521027
This policy applies from 13 November 2026.