Grotspot app launched in campaign against dumping

A new campaign to clean the streets has launched with the use of a new app for smartphones, which residents can use to quickly report flytipping and other rubbish. The app will directly give the cleaning company Serco a report of where the problem is, and I am told they aim to respond within 48 hours.

To participate, use the H&F Report It app to report graffiti, flytipping, persistent dog fouling or flyposting and include a brief description of the offence. By following a few simple tips, you can help the team locate and deal with the problem swiftly:

• Include a location (e.g. a lampost number, door number, landmark, etc.) 
• Clear photos are very useful 
• Specify if you are reporting any white goods, by which I assume they mean electrical things like fridges, as a different vehicle may be used for collection 

Serco will respond to all received grotspots within 48 hours, whilst aiming to clear the majority within 24 hours (excluding the weekend and bank holiday). They will also report back to the council any reported problems that are not their responsibility to resolve (e.g. graffiti removal or dumping on private land, etc.), and an officer will distribute these to the appropriate team(s) for action. Last March the Council proved just how determined it was to punish those responsible with the public shaming of a Goldhawk Road business.

Some phones are not compatible with the ‘app’, and so Serco have also set up a generic e-mail address for the purpose of reporting grotspots for those users:  handf.admin@serco.com with the subject line in your email: Grotspot

I know many of you are keen snappers of different parts of the Bush anyway so this app should prove quite useful - credit to the council for developing it. And spare a thought for the guys dispatched to clear the mess up too - these are of course the same guys who lost one of their own not so long ago, trying to prevent a house being burgled. I remember meeting some of them at Piotr's memorial service at the Baptist Church on Askew Road; we're very lucky to have them looking after our community.