MONMOUTHSHIRE residents are now able to easily report issues in their towns through a council app on their phones.

My Monmouthshire, which was launched yesterday by Monmouthshire County Council, enables residents across the county to report incidents such as dog fouling, pot holes and street lighting issues by taking a photo on their phone or tablet and sending it straight to the council.

With the issues easier to report, the council hopes the app will help clear up various problems across the county, also enabling people to easily view bus timetables and services.

Emma Jackson, project manager for My Monmouthshire, said the app will be beneficial to many people who may not have time to call the council during the day.

She said: “For me, I think moving on to this app will make it a lot simpler for people. The drop downs will make it easier for people to select their answer and they don’t have to fill in a huge text box.

“It’s about being able to use it whenever you want. For me for example I don’t have time in the day to ring up and report an issue or speak to the council, so in the evening I can online and go on my app. I will then send it off and it’ll go to the right person. It’s about ease of access.”

The app is open to all residents, and the council will be holding sessions for people to learn how to use My Monmouthshire.

Ms Jackson said: “We have quite a lot of older people in our county so they may not be as many of those signing up now but we are doing some IT classes and we will get them involved in downloading the app as well.

“There is a misconception that just because you are old you would not be able to use web services and I don’t think that’s true. I just think we need to show them that they are there.”

Residents can download the app for any smartphone, where they will then need to register their details, and then they can use it for reporting issues and keeping up to date with the council’s news.

Cllr Bob Greenland, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member with responsibility for innovation said: “This fantastic initiative is part of a programme to improve customer service. The My Monmouthshire app will enable more and more people to engage with the council in real time. It will make it much easier for residents to access information and report any problems to us, so we can respond faster.”