Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council are launching a mobile phone app in an effort to get residents to report more problems on local streets and public spaces.

H&F residents can now download the free ‘h&f Report it’ app onto their Smartphone, take a photo of the problem on any public land - including local roads, pavements, parks and other public spaces - and send it direct the council.

The app works by allowing GPS signals to find where a resident is reporting from and the exact location of the incident. Residents are asked to provide a short description of the issue before it is sent over to the council, where it automatically appears on the ‘to do’ list of the borough’s street cleaners.

You can also report problems in the local area online using sites such as Fix My Street.

The h&f Report it app has been up and running for a short trial period and the Council say it has already proved successful with ‘grot-spots’ being cleaned up - usually within 24 hours of the report coming through. These include reports and clearances of cigarette butts on the pavement in Lyric Square and smashed glass in Colehill Lane, Fulham.

Cllr Greg Smith, deputy leader of H&F Council cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “We are using the very latest technology to keep our borough’s streets clean by asking residents to help us spot problems like fly-tips and littering. It is amazing what you can do on a mobile phone nowadays, so next time you are looking to download a game, a ringtone or an app, then just look up h&f Report it and try it out.”

Local resident Angeloumae Bondad, 14, said: "I like The Report It app as it is an easy way to report rubbish on the streets. It's good because it's a quick way we can all help keep the streets clean."

There will be three information events in the coming weeks to show residents how to use the new app. They will be:

Tuesday December 4 - Hammersmith Town Hall reception, 9am - 2.30pm

Thursday December 6 - Lyric Square, Hammersmith, 10am - 4pm

Monday December 10 - Fulham Broadway Shopping Centre, 10am - 4pm

You can download the free app to your Smartphone now using your Android, Apple, Blackberry or Windows Phone or visit www.lbhf.gov.uk/reportit for all the download links.

You can also report suspected fly-tipping, or to alert the council to a litter issue on 020 8753 1100 or email cleaner.greener@lbhf.gov.uk.

November 29, 2012