Personal data shared in new online booking system

A woman from Launceston who used a council's new online booking service found the personal details of others, she says.

Becky Hold was trying to book a slot at the town's local waste and recycling centre and found personal information fields already populated - with other people's data.

Ms Hold said each time she pressed the "previous" button on her browser, a different person's name, address, phone number, email address and car details were displayed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Cornwall Council, which only introduced the booking system in September, apologised and said it had reported its data breach in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Ms Hold said: "I'm horrified that the council have had such a massive data failure and have let them know.

"They're forcing us to use a system that no-one wants and unable to keep our personal details safe."

She said she had emailed the people affected to let them know about the data breach as she would have been "seething" if she was in their position.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We are very sorry that some Cornwall residents have been affected by this issue.

"We took immediate action to remove the information and we are looking into why the error occurred."

When it was introduced, the council said the system aimed to reduce waiting times and queues, help keep road users safe and minimise disruption to nearby residents and businesses.

People can also book slots by telephone.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].