skellyweb.co.uk

Last updated: 8th June 2026

This privacy policy explains how skellyweb.co.uk (“the site,” “we,” “our,” “us”) collects, uses, and protects information about you when you visit. It is written to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

skellyweb.co.uk is operated by Stuart Skelton, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK data protection law, Stuart Skelton is the data controller of any personal data collected through this site.

Contact:

Stuart Skelton
Flat D, 15 Grosvenor Road
Wallington
SM6 0EN
United Kingdom

Email: snakeballs@skellyweb.co.uk

What information we collect

We collect information in a small number of limited ways, all of which are described below. We do not collect more information than we need, and we do not sell any of it.

Information you provide directly

If you contact us by email, we will hold your email address and the content of your message for as long as is necessary to respond and to keep a reasonable record of the correspondence. We do not use email addresses provided in this way for any other purpose, and we do not add them to any marketing list.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the site, our hosting provider’s server logs may automatically record information including your IP address, the type of browser and device you are using, the pages you visit, the time and date of your visit, and the website you came from (if any). This information is collected for the purpose of maintaining the security and proper functioning of the site and is held for a limited period before deletion.

Cookies and analytics

The site uses cookies. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies are used on this site for the following purposes:

Essential cookies: These are necessary for the site to function. They allow basic features such as page navigation and access to secure areas. The site cannot function properly without these cookies.
Analytics cookies (planned): We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site, such as which pages are visited most often. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect this information in an anonymised form. If and when Google Analytics is implemented, this section will be updated and a cookie consent notice will be displayed to visitors on first arrival.
Advertising cookies (planned): We intend to display advertising provided by Google AdSense in the future. Google AdSense uses cookies to serve advertisements based on visitors’ previous visits to this site and to other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve advertisements to visitors based on their visits to this and other sites. When AdSense is implemented, visitors will be presented with a consent notice on first arrival and will be able to opt out of personalised advertising. Visitors can also opt out of personalised advertising directly by visiting Google’s Ads Settings at https://www.google.com/settings/ads.

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies entirely or to be notified before a cookie is set. Refusing essential cookies may affect the functionality of the site.

Comments and spam filtering

Comments are not currently enabled on this site. If comments are enabled in the future, the WordPress comment system will collect the name, email address, and (optionally) website URL of anyone leaving a comment, along with the IP address from which the comment was submitted. This information is used to display the comment and to help filter spam.

Spam filtering will be provided by Akismet, a service operated by Automattic Inc. When a comment is submitted, certain information including the commenter’s IP address, browser user agent, comment content, and other related data may be transmitted to Akismet for the purpose of determining whether the comment is spam. For more information about Akismet’s privacy practices, see the Automattic privacy policy at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

Legal basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on are:

Legitimate interests: for the operation, security, and improvement of the site, including the use of server logs and analytics where consent is not required.
Consent: for the use of non-essential cookies, including analytics and advertising cookies, where you have given your consent through the cookie consent notice.
Legal obligation: where we are required by law to retain or disclose information.

Who we share information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

We share limited information with the following third-party service providers, who process data on our behalf or as independent controllers in their own right:

Our web hosting provider, who hosts the site and processes server log data on our behalf.
Google LLC, in connection with Google Analytics (planned) and Google AdSense (planned). Google may transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf.
Automattic Inc., the operator of Akismet, in connection with spam filtering if comments are enabled.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, the safety of others, or to investigate fraud.

International transfers

Some of the third-party services described above are operated by companies based outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the safeguards required by UK GDPR, including the use of standard contractual clauses and adequacy decisions where applicable.

How long we keep information

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

Email correspondence: for as long as necessary to respond and to keep a reasonable record, typically no longer than two years.
Server logs: typically retained for a short period (no longer than thirty days) before automatic deletion.
Analytics data (if implemented): retained according to the default settings of the analytics provider, typically no longer than fourteen months.
Comment data (if enabled): retained for as long as the comment remains published on the site.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to personal data we hold about you:

The right to be informed about how your data is used (this policy is part of how we meet that right).
The right of access to the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification if any data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure of personal data we hold about you, in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict processing of your personal data, in certain circumstances.
The right to data portability, in certain circumstances.
The right to object to processing of your personal data, including for direct marketing purposes.
Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not currently use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

To exercise any of these rights, please email snakeballs@skellyweb.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month of receiving your request, as required by UK GDPR.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s data protection authority:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk

We would ask, however, that you raise any concerns with us first by emailing snakeballs@skellyweb.co.uk, so that we have the opportunity to address them directly.

Children’s privacy

This site is not directed at children under the age of thirteen. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under thirteen. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, please contact us at the email address above and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

Editorial content and sources

skellyweb.co.uk publishes long-form journalism on historical and contemporary criminal cases. Where individuals are named in our articles, this is on the basis of public-record information including court proceedings, official investigations, contemporaneous news reporting, and published scholarly research. If you believe an article contains a factual error or unfairly identifies you or someone you represent, please contact us at snakeballs@skellyweb.co.uk and we will consider any reasonable request for correction or removal.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time, particularly when we add new services such as analytics, advertising, or comments. The “last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised when changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.