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Step 3: Report a Problem - FixMyStreet Walkthrough

Submit a new problem report as a citizen with location and category

Walkthrough progress

Step 3 of 6 • 4 minutes

Step 3 4 minutes

Report a Problem

Experience the citizen reporting flow. You will place a pin on the map, choose a category, and submit a problem report.

Expected outcome

  • You have placed a pin on the map at your chosen location
  • You selected a category such as Potholes or Street Lighting
  • Your report was submitted successfully with a confirmation message

How to report a problem

  1. Start a new report

    From the FixMyStreet homepage, enter a Camden postcode (e.g., NW1 8QE) in the search box. The map view will load. Click on the map at the location where you want to report a problem, or click the "Report a problem here" button.

  2. Place your pin on the map

    Click the exact spot on the map where the problem is. A green pin will appear. You can drag it to adjust the position. The address will update automatically.

    Tip: Zoom in for a more precise location. In a real deployment, citizens would report the exact spot of a pothole or broken streetlight.

  3. Select a category

    Choose the type of problem from the category list. Available categories include:

    • Potholes — Road surface defects
    • Street Lighting — Broken or flickering lights
    • Graffiti — Unwanted markings on public property
    • Fly-tipping — Illegally dumped waste
    • Pavements/Footpaths — Damaged or obstructed paths
    • Road Signs — Missing or damaged signage
    • Other — Anything not covered above
  4. Fill in the report details

    Enter a title and description for your report. For example:

    Title: Large pothole on Euston Road near bus stop

    Description: There is a large pothole approximately 30cm wide on the westbound carriageway of Euston Road, just before the bus stop outside the British Library. It is deep enough to damage vehicle tyres and is filling with water when it rains.

  5. Provide your details

    Enter a name and email address. For the demo, you can use any email — no verification is required in the sandbox environment.

  6. Submit the report

    Click "Submit". You will see a confirmation page with your report reference number.

What happens after submission

In a production deployment, submitting a report would:

  • Send the report to the council's street services team
  • Auto-categorise and route to the correct department
  • Send a confirmation email to the citizen
  • Add the report to the public map for other residents to see
  • Trigger notifications to relevant council officers

What to notice: The reporting flow takes under 2 minutes for a citizen. Compare this with a phone call to the council (average 15 minutes including hold time) or trying to find the right form on the council website.

Troubleshooting: Cannot place a pin on the map

If clicking the map does not place a pin:

  • Make sure you have searched for a postcode first — the map needs to be centred on an area
  • Try clicking directly on a road or pavement, not on a building
  • If the map is unresponsive, try refreshing the page
  • Ensure your browser zoom is at 100% — extreme zoom levels can affect click positioning
Troubleshooting: Report submission fails

If the report does not submit:

  • Check all required fields are filled in (title, description, name, email)
  • Make sure you have selected a category
  • Try a shorter description if the form appears to hang
  • Check the Fargate service is still running in the ECS console

Need help?

If you're stuck, check the troubleshooting section or contact us.