Last updated: October 2026

Lockout 24/7 Locksmiths respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use and protect personal information when you visit www.lockout247.co.uk, contact us or use our locksmith services.

1. Who we are

Lockout 24/7 Locksmiths is the trading name of James Hartshorn, a sole trader. He is the controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy. References to “we”, “us” and “our” mean this business and its team.

You can contact us about your information using these details:

Email: hello@lockout247.co.uk
Telephone: 07840 543661
Address: 8 Long Meadow, Great Notley, Braintree, Essex, CM77 7WD

2. Information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

  • Your name, email address and telephone number.
  • Your postcode, the address where work is required and relevant access arrangements.
  • Messages, enquiries and photographs you send through our website, by email or through other communication channels you choose to use.
  • Details of quotes, appointments, work completed, parts supplied, payments, invoices and any warranty enquiries or complaints.
  • Information needed to check that you are authorised to request access to, or work on, a property.
  • Technical information such as your IP address, browser and device details, together with website usage information where analytics is enabled with your consent.
  • Your cookie choices and, where relevant, records of permission to use photographs or testimonials.

Please avoid sending information that is not needed for your enquiry, including alarm codes, key safe codes, payment card details or copies of identity documents, unless we have specifically agreed a suitable way to provide it.

We usually receive information directly from you. We may also receive information from someone arranging work on your behalf, such as a landlord, letting agent, property manager or authorised family member. Public reviews displayed on our website come from Google.

3. How we use information and our lawful bases

Enquiries, quotes and locksmith work

We use the information needed to respond to your request, prepare a quote, arrange a visit, carry out work and provide aftercare. Where you are our customer, our lawful basis is taking steps at your request before entering into a contract, or performing our contract with you.

Business contacts and property arrangements

Where we communicate with employees, agents, tenants or other contacts who are not personally party to our contract, we rely on our legitimate interests in arranging and delivering the requested services. We consider the effect on the people involved and limit information to what is needed.

Administration, security and resolving problems

We use relevant information to keep business records, protect our website and property, prevent misuse, deal with complaints and establish or defend legal claims. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in running and protecting the business, unless a specific legal obligation applies.

Legal and tax requirements

We process records that we are legally required to keep or disclose, including relevant financial and tax records. Our lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

Optional analytics and identifiable publicity

We rely on consent for the optional website analytics described below. We also seek your permission before using a case study or photograph that identifies you or your home in our marketing. You can withdraw that permission by contacting us. Withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing unlawful.

You do not have to provide information, but we may be unable to quote, attend or carry out work if we do not have the details reasonably needed to do so. Rejecting optional analytics does not prevent you from contacting us or using our services.

4. Website analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use our website. With your consent, it can collect information such as pages visited, interactions, referral sources, approximate location, browser and device details, and online identifiers. This information helps us improve the website and assess which information visitors find useful. It should not be treated as completely anonymous simply because it does not include your name.

We also use AnalyticsWP, an analytics tool that stores website usage information within our WordPress website database. Depending on its configuration, this may include page visits, interactions, session identifiers, device information and IP addresses. AnalyticsWP is also controlled through our optional analytics consent setting.

Optional analytics is disabled unless you accept it. You can change your choice using the Cookie settings control on our website. Our Cookie Policy explains more about cookies and similar technologies.

5. Job photographs and completed work

Photographs and notes may be used to assess a fault, prepare a quote or record work carried out. Using information for these service purposes is separate from publishing it for marketing.

Our completed-work pages describe the work carried out and the general area. We seek permission before publishing material that identifies a customer or their home. Contact us if you would like us to review a photograph or job description that concerns you.

We use AI-assisted writing tools, including OpenAI, to help prepare descriptions of completed work. Relevant job notes and any job images included in that process are processed by the tool provider. Where this involves personal information, our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in preparing information about our work, subject to considering your privacy and limiting the information used. This does not authorise us to publish identifying information without the permission described above.

6. Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information. Where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, information may be accessed by or shared with:

  • Members of our team who need it to arrange or carry out your work.
  • Providers supporting our website, hosting, email, forms, backups, security and business systems, including our website support provider.
  • Google for Google Analytics and the review services used on our website.
  • OpenAI where job notes or images are submitted to our AI-assisted writing tools.
  • Payment providers, accountants, insurers and professional advisers where relevant to a transaction, record or claim.
  • A landlord, agent or other authorised contact where this is needed to carry out work they have arranged.
  • Public authorities or other recipients where disclosure is required by law or otherwise lawfully necessary.

We limit disclosures to information relevant to the purpose. Providers processing information on our behalf must do so under appropriate terms.

If you submit a public Google review, your review text, public display name, rating and profile image may be displayed on our website using WP Social Ninja. You can contact us about its display here. Changes to the original Google review are managed through Google.

7. International processing

Some providers, including Google and OpenAI, may process information outside the UK. Where a restricted international transfer takes place, we use an applicable UK adequacy arrangement or appropriate contractual safeguards, as required by data protection law. Contact us for information about the safeguards relevant to your information or how to obtain a copy where available.

Google explains its handling of information at https://policies.google.com/privacy. Information about OpenAI’s business processing terms is available at https://openai.com/policies/data-processing-addendum/.

8. How long we keep information

We keep information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including any relevant legal requirements.

  • Enquiries that do not lead to work are kept for as long as needed to respond and deal with any related follow-up or dispute.
  • Job records and related correspondence are kept for the period needed to provide aftercare, handle warranties and complaints, and address any relevant legal claims.
  • Tax and accounting records are retained for the applicable statutory period. For a sole trader this will normally include keeping relevant records for at least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year.
  • Records needed for an ongoing complaint, investigation or legal claim may be kept until it is resolved and any relevant retention requirement ends.
  • Analytics information is retained according to the settings of the relevant service. Cookie lifetimes are explained in our Cookie Policy and Cookie settings.
  • Material published with your permission is reviewed if you withdraw that permission or ask us to remove it. Records that we need for a separate lawful purpose may still need to be retained.

When information is no longer required, we delete it or make it anonymous. Backup copies may remain until they are overwritten through the normal backup cycle and are not used for other purposes in the meantime.

9. Protecting your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect information against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. Access is limited to people who need it for their work. No website or electronic communication method can be guaranteed completely secure.

10. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis involved, you can ask us to:

  • Provide access to your personal information.
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Delete information where the right to erasure applies.
  • Restrict how information is used.
  • Provide certain information in a portable format.
  • Stop processing based on legitimate interests, where your circumstances give you the right to object.

You can withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it. For analytics, use Cookie settings; for other matters, contact us. These rights are subject to legal conditions, and we may need to retain some records to comply with the law or deal with legal claims.

We do not use personal information to make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects solely by automated means.

Contact hello@lockout247.co.uk to exercise a right. We may need to verify your identity before releasing information. We normally respond within one month, subject to any extension or other adjustment permitted by law.

11. Complaints and changes

Please contact us if you have a concern about how we use your information so that we can investigate. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.

We may update this policy when our services, systems or legal obligations change. The latest version will appear on this page with an updated date.