Councils say there is nothing they can do about a new mobile app that drivers in Australian capital cities are using to skirt parking meter fees and fines.

ParkPatrol, developed by Sydney-based software developer Crwdpower, sends alerts to iPhone and, soon, Google Android mobile users when a parking officer is near their car.

People who have the app on their phones can with one button report the locations of parking officers they see in the street. The server then cross-checks incoming reports with all the checked-in parked cars on its database, and sends instant text alerts to drivers when a report comes within 200 metres of a parked car.

A spokeswoman for the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW said that as technology advances, the creation and use of applications such as ParkPatrol are "essentially unavoidable". She advised users to "consider both the legality and reliability" of the application.