  We have investigated cobaltite relatives of the layered perovskite cuprates
and nickelates, Pr$_{2-x}$Ca$_x$CoO$_4$ ($0.39 \leq x \leq 0.73$) and
La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CoO$_4$ ($x = 0.61$), using elastic neutron scattering. We have
discovered doping-dependent incommensurate short-range ordering of charges and
magnetic moments, which in cobaltites occur in the range of heavy doping, $ 0.5
\lesssim x \lesssim 0.75$. The charge order exists already at room temperature
and shows no change on cooling. The incommensurability of its propagation
vector, ${\bf Q}_c = (\epsilon_c,0,l)$, roughly scales with the concentration
of Co$^{2+}$ ions, $\epsilon_c \sim (1-x)$. Magnetic order is only established
at low T$\lesssim 40$ K and has twice larger periodicity, indicating a dominant
antiferromagnetic correlation between the nearest Co$^{2+}$ spins.
