Important Legal Notice

The information provided on this website (www.nhslocal.nhs.uk) (the "Site) including medical information, is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals. We do not warrant that any information included within this Site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

To aid navigation, the terms relating to use of this website (www.nhslocal.nhs.uk) have been divided into a number of sections:

•    Terms of Use

•    Privacy Policy

•    Freedom of Information

These sections together form the Terms and Conditions (“Terms”). The Terms, as amended by us from time to time, set out the basis on which you may use the Site.  Please read them carefully.

By registering with, or just using or visiting the Site (including all content on the Site from time to time, you agree to the Terms. If you do not agree to the Terms, please do not use or register with the Site.

The Site is operated by Maverick Television Limited (“we” or “us”) on behalf of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority. Please read these Terms carefully as they set out your rights and obligations and the terms on which we makes the Site available to you. They also provide information on how you can submit material and how this will be used.

Important notice about user content

By providing content to us or the Site you confirm this is (a) your own work and not copied from anyone else or infringing of any third party’s rights and (b) not defamatory, obscene, harassing, offensive, threatening or in breach of anyone’s privacy. You must have the consent of anyone featured in the content to provide this to us.

You will own any original content you provide (except for any applications “Applications” made by you through the Site (e.g. applications to participate or contribute or receive information) or as otherwise agreed with you or set out on the Site) but by providing content you agree we may use it, copy it and make any part of it available on the Site, other internet sites, mobile, television, radio and/or any other media channel in any format. Further details are set out below.

The Site may contain content created by user submission and which does not necessarily represent the views of us or the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority. The Site may contain content of an adult nature that is unsuitable for young people (under 16). If you wish to make a complaint about any content please let us know through the Contact page of this Site.

IF WE DISCOVER OR HAVE ANY REASON TO SUSPECT YOU HAVE BREACHED THESE TERMS WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND OR TERMINATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP OF THE SITE IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT NOTICE AND REMOVE ANY OR ALL CONTENT YOU MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SITE.

Terms of use

1. Your obligations and the terms

If you would like to interact with the Site, upload material to the Site or have access to certain content you may need to register and become a Site member (“Member”). As part of this you will be asked to “accept” the Terms and, on doing so, you will be deemed to have consented to and will be bound by the Terms.

Other visitors to the Site do not need to become Members. However, any use of the Site (including, but not limited to, viewing content) constitutes your acceptance of the Terms, which takes effect the moment you first use the Site. If the Terms are not accepted in full, you do not have permission to access the Site and should stop using it immediately.

We reserve the right to change the Terms at any time by posting changes online and it is your responsibility to refer to and comply with the most up to date Terms on accessing the Site. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the Terms as modified.

2. Age of consent and viewer guidance

You must be 18 years or over to submit an Application (or any other age specified for a particular Application).

Except where the Site provides otherwise, you must be 16 years or over to register as a Member.

Except where the Site provides otherwise, children and young people under 16 are entitled to access the Site and view content but we do not give permission for them to register as Members or actively participate e.g. upload User Content (defined below). Except where the Site provides otherwise, you should not attempt to do any of these things if you are under 16 (or allow anyone else to do so). Where there are any other restrictions or eligibility requirements, these will be set out on the Site.

Some content (e.g. videos of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context) may be unsuitable for younger viewers. Where we deem that any content appearing of the Site may be unsuitable for people 16 years of age or younger, we will ensure that such content contains an appropriate warning, for example by issuing a pre-roll warning prior to the commencement of a video.

Our guidance should be used as an indication of suitability for each piece of content, and the same discretion you would apply when choosing to view content on your televisions should be applied when choosing to view content on this Site.

Upon agreeing to the Terms you accept full responsibility for reviewing any and all viewer guidance information supplied for each piece of content for the purpose of informing, and where appropriate safeguarding, viewers, including but not limited to children and young people. Where you allow children or young people to view any content, you are responsible for making sure that this is suitable for them.

You understand that content may contain nudity or other material of a sexual nature, or may include material you may consider offensive or otherwise objectionable. Although we will attempt to bring such material to your attention, you agree that we shall have no liability to you for any content that may be found to be offensive or otherwise objectionable.

We reserve the right to ask for written proof of age or eligibility from you. If we discover or suspect that you do not comply with the age requirements, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your Membership and/or use of the Site immediately and without notice and/or disqualify you from any Application process.

3. Your password, username and security

When you register as a Member, you will be asked to select a user name (which may simply be your email address) and password that you can then use to access your account and log on to and/or participate in areas of the Site reserved for Members only. We reserve the right to reject user names that are offensive, defamatory or otherwise unsuitable.

You may update certain details via your account. In certain areas of the Site, you may be able to set your Membership profile and control parts of this e.g. the information other users can see. This does not apply to the whole Site and you should use the Contact us page of this Site if you have any queries.

You accept it is your sole responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of your username and password and you are responsible for all activity that occurs under this. We are unable to check the identity of people acting as Members or using Members' areas and we will not be liable where your username and/or password is used by someone else. You should make sure you are the only person using your password and you agree to notify us of any unauthorized use of your username and/or password and any other breach of security as soon as you become aware of it.

If you use any functionality that the Site makes available that allows people to contact you or leave comments, you are accepting these may be abusive, untrue or unpleasant. Please be careful when using any messaging and do not reveal personal information such as your home or work contact details, your last name or where you live. You can use the complaints procedure if any issues arise (see Section 11). The Site will explain any functionality that we introduce to allow you to block or remove comments.

4. Applications

You may have the chance to apply to participate in forums or competitions or other interactive services on the Site. The Site will set out details of how to submit an Application, the process and any additional rules or requirements. User Content and Your Data supplied as part of an Application MUST comply with the Terms and other requirements we notify to you and will be used as set out in Sections 5 and 8. The terms “User Content” and “Your Data” are defined in Sections 5 and 8.

We reserve the right to disqualify incomplete Applications or those that do not follow the requirements or Terms. We do not accept responsibility for lost or delayed Applications or for any errors in or unauthorised access to Applications which happen because of server functions, viruses, bugs or other things that we do not control.

Our decision as to whether an Application is successful (or in the event of any argument regarding the rules, conduct or results of the Application process) is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Whether particular Applications are used is entirely our decision. These decisions may be taken by or with an external party (where this has been agreed between us and such external party).

We may withdraw, cancel or amend the Application or the process without prior notice where the relevant event is cancelled or to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory or other similar requirements or for any reason outside our control. Any changes will be posted on the Site.

5. How we will use your material

"User Generated Content" (referred to in these Terms as "User Content") includes all content provided to the Site or to us or uploaded to the Site by users i.e. videos, clips, pictures, reviews, comments, data posting, competition entries and all other user generated material.

All User Content must be created by users in accordance with the House Rules which are set out in the Appendix at the end of these Terms and which also appear elsewhere on the Site.

You agree and guarantee that any User Content you provide or upload is original to you and does not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any other person. You must obtain any consent necessary for you to provide the User Content to us.

We will own User Content submitted as part of an Application (unless the Site expressly sets out otherwise). By submitting User Content as part of an Application, you therefore agree that your User Content (and any further use made of this) will belong to us and that we will have the right to use and promote this (and authorize others to do so) as we see fit.

Except in relation to Applications, we do not, unless we agree this with you, claim any rights of ownership in your User Content. As such, you retain all ownership rights and, although we will be able to use the User Content as set out in the Terms, you will also have the right to use your User Content in any way you choose. Where User Content is to be used in a different way (e.g. we are asking to own this) this will be made clear on the Site and you will then be able to choose whether to provide particular User Content on that basis.

Where we do not own User Content, you agree that we (and third parties authorised by us) may make any and all User Content available on the Site and any other media, whether now known or invented in the future, which may include, without limitation, other internet sites, mobile, television and/or radio and that User Content may be made available with advertising and/or sponsorship. You now grant us (and third parties authorised by us) a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence (for the full period of any rights in the User Content) to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, make derivative works or podcasts from, edit, alter, store, re-format, sell and sub-licence the User Content for such purposes.

Whether or not we own User Content, you grant us (and third parties authorised by us) the right to issue publicity concerning the User Content and any material, service or programme in which it may be included, and for such purpose to use and reproduce your name and photograph (where these have been provided to us) and your User Content.

We do not guarantee to use or otherwise make available User Content. Any User Content may be rejected by us and may be edited, moderated or deleted at our absolute discretion. We reserve the right not to accept User Content that is not in English and cannot be moderated. All decisions are final and we will not enter into any discussions or correspondence about why User Content has been rejected.

We may, in appropriate circumstances, and in our sole discretion, remove or disable access to User Content that appears to be legally or otherwise problematic e.g. it infringes the copyright or other intellectual property or privacy rights of others, is defamatory etc. or for any other reason. In relation to all reviews and comments posted on the Site, you consent to us editing such reviews to ensure compliance with the Terms.

We do not keep any "comments" that are not accepted for publication but may retain other User Content even if this is not published. You agree, however, that we have no obligation to keep originals or copies of any User Content or to return this to you or remove this from the Site on termination of your Membership or at the end of any Application or otherwise.

6. You promise:

You agree and confirm that:

A. If registering as a Member or submitting an Application you are the appropriate age set out in Section 2 (or you are the appropriate age provided for on the Site);

B. All information provided by you to us is accurate, true and up to date in all respects and at all times, all facts expressed by you in User Content are true to the best of your knowledge and belief and, if your User Content contains opinions, these are your own and genuinely and truly held by you;

C. All User Content is original to you and you are fully entitled (and have all necessary consents) to give the User Content to us (you must also have the consent of anyone featured in the User Content to provide this to us) and you are happy for this to be used as set out in the Terms;

D. Nothing in the User Content will infringe the copyright or any other right of any person, breach any contract or duty of confidence, be defamatory, obscene, offensive, indecent, harassing, threatening, breach anyone’s privacy or may constitute a contempt of court or be calculated to bring the NHS, West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, Maverick Television Limited or any other person into disrepute; and

E. All User Content will comply with any additional terms or requirements on the Site and you will at all times comply with the Terms.

You agree to indemnify us and keep us indemnified from and against all claims, damages, expenses, costs and liabilities (including legal fees) relating to or arising from your use of the Site and/or Membership or Applications or arising from any breach or suspected breach of the Terms by you or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

7. Other site terms

Some parts of the Site may have specific terms of use (e.g. competitions or specific terms relating to individual pieces of content). By registering for and/or using these parts of the Site you are agreeing to these specific terms. If there is any conflict between the Terms and specific terms appearing on the Site, the specific terms shall prevail.

8. Your personal data

Personal information you are asked to supply or you supply voluntarily as part of the registration, upload/download or an Application process and any other information relating to your User Content (e.g. information provided to us in relation to legal and best practice issues) ("Your Data"), may be used by us,  our group companies, service providers and other organizations (such as production companies involved in any Applications) and by their subcontractors, employees, agents and advisors (including legal advisors) as follows: (i) to administer your Membership or Application; (ii) in making decisions about whether User Content you seek to upload onto the Site should be accepted, rejected or used; and/or (iii) as set out on the Site or the Terms. In addition, we may in our discretion disclose this information to the police, regulatory bodies or any legal advisers in connection with any alleged criminal offence or suspected breach of the Terms by you or otherwise where required by law.

You may be requested to take part in promotional activity and we reserve the right to use your details, photographs and audio and/or visual recordings in any publicity (including as set out in Section 5).

Except as set out above (or where we agree otherwise with you e.g. in relation to contacting you for marketing), Your Data will be kept private and confidential, will not be passed on to third parties without your express consent and will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy. By becoming a Member and/or using the Site you are agreeing to Your Data being used as set out above.

9. Use of the site

In accessing the Site, you agree to do so only for your own personal, non-commercial use and in accordance with the Terms. Unless otherwise stated, you may not copy, reproduce, download, post, store (including in any other website), distribute, transmit, broadcast, commercially exploit or modify in any way the Site’s material or content (including User Content) or permit or assist any third party to do the same.

You agree to only use the Site for lawful purposes, in a manner which does not improperly infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of, the Site by any third party. Such restriction or inhibition includes, but is not limited to, conduct which is libelous, in breach of anyone’s privacy or which may harass, cause real distress or inconvenience to any person and the transmission of obscene or offensive content or interruption of the normal flow of dialogue within the Site.

Any copying, reproduction, lending or hiring, public performance, broadcasting or any other form of distribution of Site, or content (including User Content) other than in accordance with these Terms is prohibited and will constitute a copyright infringement.

We may remove or change content available through the Site at any time without notice.

You are responsible for providing all equipment and software necessary for you to view the content. Please note that the quality of any video content will be affected by connection speeds. We will not be responsible to you if your equipment or software is not compatible with the content.

Some content may contain security technology to protect it from being used outside of the Terms. You agree not to attempt to, or assist any other person to, circumvent or remove any security technology. You agree that the information which is used to protect certain content may be used and/or disclosed to third parties if such disclosure appears necessary for the purpose of tracing copyright infringements.

If you are unable to view any content please let us know through the Contact us part of this Site.

Please note that your "ISP" may charge you for the bandwidth you use in accessing content and this access may exceed any limits you have on bandwidth. You will be responsible for this and these costs - please contact your ISP for details.

11. Other user content, complaints and contacting us

Although we ask all Members to submit User Content that complies with the Terms, you acknowledge that User Content supplied by other Members may include material you consider offensive or objectionable. We assume no responsibility or liability for User Content and, as the User Content is created by users, it does not necessarily represent our views or those of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority.

If you become aware of any misuse of the Site or wish to complain about any User Content or material on the Site or believe any of your rights have been violated e.g. your copyright infringed, you have been defamed etc., you can notify us at the address below (see Section 17) or via the Contact part of this Site. We will need to know:

* Nature of your complaint and location within the Site of the particular content or Member.

* For copyright disputes, identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed and a statement that you have a good-faith belief the disputed use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law and that you are the owner of the copyright interest involved or are authorised to act on behalf of the owner.

 * Your name, address, telephone number and email address and such other information as we may reasonably request. We may, but are not obliged to, monitor or assist in disputes between Members. You are solely responsible for your interaction with other Members.

12. Termination and suspension

We reserve the right to modify, suspend or discontinue the Site or any part of it (including the availability of any features of the Site or pages on the Site) at any time and without notice or liability to you. We are also entitled to suspend or terminate your Membership or access to any part of the Site at any time if you breach the Terms or for technical reasons.

You may terminate your Membership at any time, for any reason, by following the instructions in your profile or within your account. Even after your Membership is terminated (for whatever reason) the Terms will remain in full force and effect. Your User Content will remain on the Site – please Contact us with details of any User Content you would like to be removed and we will try to remove this.

13. Third party sites/links

We are not responsible for the availability or content of any third party websites or material you access through the Site. If you decide to visit any linked site, you do so at your own risk and it is your responsibility to take all protective measures to guard against viruses or other destructive elements. We do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, services or information on or available from third party websites or material (including payment for and delivery of such products or services) or for any damage, loss or offence caused by or, in connection with, the same. Any terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and the relevant provider of the service.

You may link to your own User Content on the Site or send links to other people’s User Content on the Site via email. Other than this, links to the Site must be clear links to the relevant page on the Site and content must not be viewed within the pages of any other site (unless expressly set out otherwise on the Site) such that content does not appear to come from us. We disclaim all liability for any legal or other consequences (including for infringement of third party rights) of links made to the Site.

Links do not imply that we endorse, are affiliated or associated with any linked site, or that we are legally authorised to use any trademark, trade name, logo or copyright symbol displayed in or accessible through the links, or that any linked site is authorised to use any trademark, trade name, logo or copyright symbol of ours or any of our affiliates or subsidiaries. We reserve the right to request that any links are removed at any time and you agree to comply with any such request.

14. Disclaimer/limitation of liability

The Site, all content (including User Content) and information, images, logos relating to the Site and/or Maverick Television Limited, West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, NHS and/or any associated companies, products and services (or to third party products and services), are provided ’AS IS’ and on an ’AS AVAILABLE’ basis without any representation, endorsement or warranty of any kind, including but not limited to implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy.

We will endeavour to provide the Site using all reasonable care and will use reasonable efforts to make the Site available to you at all times. However you acknowledge that the Site is provided over the internet and so the quality and availability of the Site (and this reference includes all content on the Site) may be affected by factors that are outside our reasonable control such as technical faults in your ISP's and/or telecommunication providers' networks/services. We are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, providers, computer equipment or software, or failure of any email or Application to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, telephone lines or at any website (or any combination of these things).

We make no guarantees that the Site will be available, uninterrupted or error free, or that defects will be corrected, or that the Site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs. Except as required by law, we will not be responsible for any loss or damage caused by: (a) interruption or delay to the Site or errors, viruses or bugs contained in the Site caused by events outside our reasonable control; (b) your negligence, your breach of the Terms or failure to follow our reasonable instructions; (c) any incompatibility of the Site with any other software or material on your equipment; (d) any unauthorized use of the Site; or (e) any other factor that is outside our reasonable control.

Content, information and other material on the Site may contain inaccuracies and typographical errors. We do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of these or the reliability of any information displayed or distributed through the Site (including provided through any software). You acknowledge that reliance on any such information shall be at your sole risk. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to correct any errors or omissions in any part of the Site and to make changes to the Site and to the materials, products, programs, services, content or prices described in the Site at any time without notice.

We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered though use of the Site or any Application. In no event will we or any of our third party affiliates be liable for any damages whatsoever, whether in action of contract, negligence or other action, including (but not limited to) damages for loss of use of the Site, damage to equipment or other software, or loss of data or profits or for other monetary loss or for any indirect or consequential damages, arising out of or in connection with the use (or inability to use) or performance of the Site or participation in any Application. In addition, in no event shall we or our licensors or third party affiliates be liable for any unauthorized use of the Site. These exclusions do not apply to death or personal injury caused by our negligence and only apply to the extent permitted by law. This does not affect your statutory rights (please see www.consumerdirect.gov.uk for further details). 

15. Intellectual property rights, products and software

The names, images and logos identifying us and the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, its associated companies or third parties and their products and services are proprietary marks of these parties. Nothing in the Terms shall be construed as conferring any licence or right under any intellectual property right of ours and/or the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, or any  associated companies or third parties, unless expressly stated otherwise.

All copyright, trade-marks and other intellectual property rights in the Site (including the design, arrangement and look and feel) and all material, software or content supplied as part of the Site, other than User Content (except such User Content submitted as part of an Application) and Your Data (see Sections 5 and 8), shall remain at all times the property of us or our licensors and protected by copyright law.

Any products and services on the Site are subject to availability and are available at our sole discretion.

From time to time certain software which is the protected work of us or our suppliers may be made available to download from the Site. In such cases, you will be licensed to use the software only for the purposes and upon the terms which are indicated at the time of download. You may not use the software for any other purpose and may not redistribute, sell, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise deal with the software unless you are specifically advised otherwise.

16. Law and jurisdiction

The Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England. Any disputes arising from the Site or Terms will be decided only by the English courts.

The Site is only intended to be accessed from the United Kingdom. We make no representation that materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use at other locations and access to them from territories where their contents are illegal is strictly prohibited. If you access the Site outside of the United Kingdom, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws.

If any of the Terms are held by any court of competent authority to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, this will not affect the validity of the remaining Terms which will continue to be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

We can transfer our rights and obligations under the Terms to any company, firm or person provided this does not affect your rights under the Terms. You may not transfer or assign your rights or obligations under the Terms to anyone else and your Membership is personal to you.

17. Our details

The Site is operated by Maverick Television Limited (“we” or “us”) on behalf of the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority.

Maverick Television Limited (Company Registration No. 02866002) is incorporated and registered in England and Wales and whose registered office is at Berkshire House, 168-173 High Holborn, London WC1V 7AA. You can contact us at this address or by the Contact us part of this Site.

Last updated June 2010 Maverick Television Limited/West Midlands Strategic Health Authority ©2010

APPENDIX

House rules for user generated content

NHS local welcomes both positive and negative feedback about the service generally and any issues raised by its content on the site, but please ensure that any comments you make are in line with the House Rules set out below.

Please read these rules carefully. They outline what we consider is acceptable and unacceptable content. We may update the rules from time to time, so please read them before posting a comment.

About your posts:

This is a public website

Except where otherwise stated, once your comment is online, everyone with Internet access can read it. Please make your comment clear to ensure that it is not misunderstood. Your comment may also be rated by other users. You can express a strong opinion but please do not go over the top. Don't forget that you are legally responsible for what you submit. Please consider how your comment could be received by others. Many different types of people of different ages may view your comment.

Language and relevance

Please be polite. Do not use swear words or crude or sexual language. Please use English language. Keep your submissions relevant to the story or topic. Do not insult other contributions or discuss the non-appearance or removal of any content on this Site or the suspension or termination of any users.

Report abuse

We strongly support the NHS local online community in maintaining high standards of participation. If you consider that a comment does not comply with these rules or our Terms and Conditions please use the relevant Report Abuse facility, located just under the comment in issue. The facility should only be used for serious complaints, not simply because you disagree with something said.

No libel or other abuse

You must not make or encourage comments which are:

•    defamatory, false or misleading;

•    insulting, threatening or abusive;

•    obscene or of a sexual nature;

•    offensive, racist, sexist, homophobic or discriminatory against any religions or other groups.

Confidentiality, privacy and contempt

Please respect people's privacy. You are not allowed to submit confidential or private information. For example, you must not upload the name, telephone number, email address or any other contact details of any person. You should not write anything which could prejudice pending or on-going court proceedings of which you are aware. For example, if you have any personal knowledge about someone who has been arrested or charged or being prosecuted for an offence, you must not mention it. If you do, you could be in contempt of court, which is an extremely serious matter.

No advertising, solicitation or investigations

You must not use our Site for:

•    the promotion of any products or services or for any other commercial purpose;

•    any sponsorship, petition, campaign, scheme or chain message;

•    an investigation e.g. tracing the whereabouts of any person.

No impersonation and proper disclosure

You must not pretend to be someone else (e.g. an expert, another user or a member of the NHS local team). You must not pretend that you are unconnected to a story or topic, when in fact you are. If you have a personal connection to a story or topic, you should disclose your connection or, where appropriate, not comment at all.

No linking or copyright infringement

You must not insert links to websites (URLs) or submit content which would be an infringement of copyright.

Comments on articles, videos and our message boards

Registered users can submit an unlimited number of comments across the NHS local site. However, there is a maximum of 10 comments per article. We may increase or decrease this limit from time to time.

Respect the spirit as well as the letter of the House Rules

In deciding what is acceptable, please also respect the spirit and tone of these rules and the community.

Removal of content

NHS local, at its entire discretion, may remove all or any part of a comment whether or not such comment violates the letter or spirit of these rules or our Terms and Conditions (or, if checked in advance, not publish a comment in the first place). If we do remove something, we will generally remove whole posts, or where necessary, whole threads (not parts). This means that even if only one sentence is objectionable, the whole comment will usually be removed (or not published).

If a comment or a thread is removed, this may be for any number of reasons. Usually, this will be because the comment breaks these rules or our Terms and Conditions or is the subject of an abuse report. Sometimes, the comment may be removed because it is connected to another comment which is being removed. We hope that you will understand that, once properly notified of a complaint, we may have to remove a comment for legal reasons (whatever the rights and wrongs).

If your content has been removed, we may email you to let you know or to inform you if you have been suspended or banned from submitting further comments to the Site. If you are aware that content has been removed, you must not deliberately resubmit the same content.

Suspension and termination

We reserve the right to suspend or ban an account at our sole discretion. Here are some reasons why we might do so:

•    Breaching these rules or our Terms and Conditions

•    Serious failure to respect the spirit and tone of the community;

•    Conduct or comments that demand a disproportionate amount of our time or that abuse our staff.

The length of a suspension or whether we ban someone depends on all the circumstances. Bans are generally for extreme cases and repeated serious abuse. If we suspend or ban your registration, you must not attempt to re-register or submit content (e.g. using someone else's account), without our permission.