Technology is helping councils to catch up with the flytippers

Sometimes it can seem like the flytippers will always get away with it - but technology is catching up with them.

According to Stephen McPeake, owner of the ReportAll app, a flytipper has just been fined for dumping rubbish on a walkway in the Belfast Hills - and his app helped to alert the authorities.

ReportAll is a mobile app which allows the general public to report faults and automatically send them to the public body responsible.

The app uses the GPS technology within the smartphones to Geo-Tag the exact location of the problem. The user can also take a picture and add notes before submitting the fault.

In this case, a member of the public reported the flytipping at the walkway close to a reservoir at Hannahstown Road and the message was relayed by ReportAll to Lisburn & Castlereagh Borough Council.

“They investigated the tipping and found personal details in the rubbish which led them to the offender, who was fined and paid up,” Stephen says.

“We have also had around 1,500 incidents registered in the Antrim & Newtownabbey council area and the council usually have it fixed or cleaned within 24 or 48 hours of being reported.”

Users can employ ReportAll to report everything from potholes and graffiti to water leaks and defective bus shelters without having to pick up the phone and track down the relevant authorities.

They can create an account via the web interface, allowing them to log in and check progress, or they can upload the incident anonymously - full details at reportall.org.