Where Area Watch works
Anywhere in the United Kingdom with a postcode.
Councils
Reports go to the council responsible for that place and that kind of problem: in two-tier parts of England, roads and pavements go to the county council and rubbish, noise and parks to the district or borough council; in unitary areas, metropolitan boroughs, London boroughs, Wales and Scotland one council deals with both. In Northern Ireland, roads go to the Department for Infrastructure and the rest to the district council.
Water and electricity
Leaks and sewage go to the regional water company — Anglian, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Northumbrian, Severn Trent, South West Water, Southern, Thames, United Utilities, Wessex, Yorkshire, Scottish Water or NI Water. Damaged electricity equipment goes to the distribution network operator for the area, which is not the company that sends your bill.
Known gaps
Utility areas do not follow council boundaries, and our first map of them is drawn by region. Where a water-only company supplies drinking water, or where a network operator's area cuts across a region, a report can reach the wrong company first; our team checks and re-sends it. Motorways and major A roads in England belong to National Highways — for now those reports go to the council, which passes them on.
Not covered: the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and anywhere outside the UK. The app tells you before you take a photo.