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HDR / Evidence and legal work / CCTV for insurers and investigators

Evidence work · footage that holds up when challenged

CCTV and DVR recovery, Hull. The video is the easy half; proving what it is takes the rest.

The claims handler or investigating officer needs to verify that the video footage provided is the same as the one described by you. This is settled at the recorder and not after the fact. Therefore, a written hold goes in first, before the thirty minutes you need drop off the end of the disk. The rights that data protection law gives you are used properly. All material leaving our premises will carry hash values, a written method and a dated record of who had possession of it. The recovery aspect of this process represents the smallest part of the overall job. If the digital video recorder is owned by another party, we cannot begin processing its disk until we receive authorisation from that owner to do so.

Only pay if we recover your data, on most jobs An exhibit from day one It is being written over now

Ring us, in confidence
0800 6890668

How a copy gets released.

Subject access routeIf you can be identified within the footage captured, then, under UK GDPR, the operator of that equipment must provide you with a copy. They have one calendar month to comply. In addition, all other individuals identifiable in the footage must be de-identified prior to transfer. A fee may only be charged in extraordinary circumstances.
Hold it in writingTwo sentences via email on the day are better than waiting two weeks for a solicitor's letter. State which camera, which half hour of footage you need, and in your email ask in writing for it to be retained.
When police askNormally, an officer simply requests the footage and it is provided without issue. Video evidence ultimately arrives at investigations in this manner. In instances where an officer receives a negative response, formal procedures will follow: a data protection request will be issued, followed by an application to the court.
Where we come into itMistakenly formatted video disk. Digital recorder malfunctioned on the date of recording. Deleted video file on company employee's office computer. These are usually recoverable items. However, if the original video footage has been overwritten, it cannot be retrieved regardless of efforts made to do so.

The clock, and the rules round it.

Not one of these? Ring us →
What is in playWhat the fault isWhat to try
Retention mythThere is no statutory requirement for retention periods. Retention depends upon disk capacity, number of cameras and frame rate.Obtain a written hold today
One month to receive a responseTiming commences once your request arrives with the operator.Place your request in writing
Other individuals appearing in footage are obscuredIdentifiable facial features are blurred prior to providing a copy of the video.This is an obligation, as opposed to a way of creating delays
Doorbell camera located on a drivewayHome camera capturing views outside the property boundary creates the same obligations for the home owner.Even private homes fall into the category of coverage
Record of custodyEach step of the process documented (from the disk within the recorder to the copy sent via post).SHA-256 hash values applied to each file prior to sending; along with a signed statement of method applied to each file prior to sending.
Sending it to us: ring first or fill out the form to request a quote. Send the recorder disk (or camera card) via post to the Leeds intake laboratory (insured and trackable). Alternatively, drop the recorder disk (or camera card) off there, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. No appointment needed. We pay for its return journey. Call prior to sending if you would like one of our staff to check the packaging with you. All information about how to send is on the sending page.

The stages, one by one.

The casebook in full →
01

A case number first, then a free diagnosis Free

Every piece of gear that shows up receives a case number on the very same day it arrives. An engineer examines it and determines what is really wrong with it and there is no charge for this. We give you straight language about which files we will be able to copy from the disk and which ones we won't be able to. Then we provide you with a single price quote, in writing, based upon these findings. We don't begin working on anything until you agree to the quoted price.

The diagnosis is freeOne price, put in writingNothing to pay yet
02

Freeze the recorder first

Initial phase involves obtaining a written hold from the system administrator(s), including authority to access the disk, if the recorder does not belong to you. Second phase: determine what is actually contained upon the disk (i.e., disk size; number of cameras; frame rate), not the manual.

Written hold goes out firstRetention figure worked out
03

Both file formats

We export from the image twice. One is an MP4 that any machine will open; the other is the recorder's native file (.dav or whatever the maker uses), which is sent with the player that reads it.

Playable and native copiesViewer included
04

What travels alongside the files

Each file gets a SHA-256 value, a written account of how it was produced, and a dated list of everyone who handled it. Without those, all you have is a clip that somebody emailed on. With them, you have something a loss adjuster or a court will accept.

SHA-256 and a method noteFit for a claim or a hearing
05

You sign it off, then it comes back

You will not be charged while you think about this. First, you receive a list of everything that was recovered from the drive. Once you have seen the list and given us the go-ahead, the bill comes next. Files are returned to you on media purchased specifically for this job and we cover the return postage as well. Your job is kept open by us until you can view them on your personal computer.

You approve the listing firstCopied onto new mediaReturn postage at our cost

What we see on the bench

  • An email costs nothing and settles the matter: identify the camera, the date and the time (plus half an hour each way) in an email asking for the recording to be held. This way, no one can claim later that the opportunity to capture the footage had already passed.
  • Blurred images do not constitute obstruction: a retail establishment that obscures other shoppers' faces before responding is fulfilling a legal obligation it owes them, under the exact same statute you're citing. No one is removing the relevant part of the image.
  • Home cameras are not exempt: in 2021, a county court ruled in a video doorbell case that householders whose lenses look onto public property (such as the pavement) or neighbouring properties carry the same data protection obligations as businesses.
  • Public bodies and private premises sit under different rules: public bodies (chiefly police and local government) are governed by the surveillance camera code, while private property owners such as shops, yards and landlords answer to the ICO under data protection law. All exports we create meet that standard.

Why insurers care: In November 2025 the Association of British Insurers (ABI) estimated that £1.16 billion was the total amount of claims fraud detected in 2024 alone. That total included £576 million of motor claims involving 51,700 individual cases. Having clear video allows for the quicker resolution of honest claims and prevents dishonest ones being paid; however, this only works when the video evidence exists in documented form rather than just being passed on.

One case from the casebook.

HU · HUL-2026-0558LOGGED ✓

Two vans, one claim, and a file already deleted

There were two vans which collided in a yard in Sutton Fields, and the insurer required proof. By the time they got round to taking it, the recorder had cycled back through its looping sequence many times, and therefore the day had been lost forever. Only one export remained; a manager had saved it at the time, but subsequently deleted it from their office PC. We retrieved it from that PC, created a hash, wrote how we did it up, and the matter was resolved without having to go to court.

Insurance claim settledCourt-ready export

Before you box it up.

Do these first

  • Send them a hold request today
  • Record the date & time, camera details & owner
  • Are you yourself in the frame? Make a subject access request (SAR).
  • Leave files untouched: don't rename them, or trim them

What not to do

  • Wait for the insurer to do this
  • Film the monitor on your phone and call that evidence
  • Trim the clip before sending it on
  • Trust what's printed on the box regarding retention period.

What we get asked on the phone.

I'm on a shop's CCTV. Can I ask for a copy?

Yes. If you appear identifiable within the image recorded by the surveillance camera, then that image is your personal data, so would fall under a subject access request. The shop would have one calendar month to respond to this request. Prior to sending you anything, it would also need to redact other individuals, and most of the time will ask for nothing.

What if the operator turns me down?

Ask first. Politely. In writing. Many people pass along a copy with no issue. If they refuse to hand over a copy, there are two formal steps left: firstly a request under data protection law, and after that an application to the courts.

How soon does a recorder write over footage?

Faster than the owner will tell you. There are no time limits from Parliament. The only requirement is that data should not be retained once it ceases to serve a purpose. Therefore, the length of time footage is kept depends upon the hardware: how large the storage unit is, how many cameras are recording simultaneously, what frame rate each camera records at, and how they were configured.

What comes back with a finished export?

We want it to work with just about any type of computer and also to hold up if someone disputes it. Thus, we create and send out together: (a) an MP4 version of the recording; (b) the file created directly by the recorder itself; (c) a SHA-256 (a digital fingerprint) value for each of those two types of files; and (d) a signed document describing how the different versions of the clip were created.

What people read after this.

Video off recorders → Dashcam and bodycam footage → Reports for the court → Forensics and evidence →

The recorder is overwriting it now.

The clip you wish to obtain is currently being recorded over; the deadline has not changed. Log a job. The initial review will cost you nothing; your comments remain confidential.

0800 6890668

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