Britain's most repulsive road - the A50/A38 This week, Roadvlog was featured on ITV’s Good Morning Britain during a discussion about Britain’s most repulsive road — and the national attention couldn’t have come at a better time for our growing community of road observers and data contributors. Watch for yourself, here: https://www.itv.com/watch/good-morning-britain/2a3211/2a3211a4265 (fast-forward to approx. 10 minutes in). 📺 During the segment, the presenters highlighted how poor road conditions — from litter-strewn verges to deep potholes and debris — are one of the biggest frustrations for British drivers. Roadvlog’s data plays a central role in understanding and documenting these everyday experiences on UK roads. The A50/A38 problem was first reported by Martin Burrows from Truckers Cleaning Up Britain - so thanks Martin! Clean Up Britain made the award after reviewing the 5,500+ reports made within Roadvlog. 🚘 What Is Roadvlog? Roadvlog is a simple, w...
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Congratulations Dan - our new Development Manager
We have a new Development Manager here at Start Software - meet Dan Darkin.
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| Dan at his desk in our Telford software development office |
Dan joined us an apprentice about 100 years ago (it feels like it, anyway!) and has shown determination, diligence, technical skills and an ability to work with clients, staff & suppliers. Dan now manages the software development team and oversees our critical and largest software development projects.
It's been a pleasure to see Dan's continued personal development and his increasing contribution to the business.
Congratulations Dan - well deserved.
🎉 Exciting News: Two New Alpha Tracker Orders This Week! One in the UK, one in Australia. Check out our TrustPilot reviews, too!
We’re thrilled to share that Alpha Tracker has received two new asbestos software orders this week, reinforcing the trust that environmental and compliance consultancies place in our software.
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| Orders on either side of the world this week |
One of these new customers is based in the UK and chose to switch to Alpha Tracker from our main competitor — a real vote of confidence in our platform and team. The second new order comes from Australia, where Alpha Tracker was recommended to the customer by industry contacts who already use and value our system.
These wins are more than just numbers — they show that organisations are actively choosing Alpha Tracker because of our reputation, support, and performance, and we couldn’t be more pleased.
⭐ Why Customers Are Choosing Alpha Tracker
We’re proud of the positive feedback we’ve received on Trustpilot, where Alpha Tracker holds an excellent rating that reflects our commitment to customer success.
Here are just a few examples of what our users are saying:
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“We’ve been using Alpha Tracker since 2016 and honestly can’t imagine running our asbestos division without it now. The support team are brilliant — always quick to help.”
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“The support we get here in Australia has been excellent — always quick to respond.”
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“We have been with Start Software for over a decade and their team are always helpful and quick to resolve issues.”
These real-world experiences underline why consultancies are willing to switch from competitors or recommend us to peers — they’re choosing Alpha Tracker for its reliability, depth of features, and exceptional support.
🚀 What This Means for Us
Getting new orders from both the UK and Australia in one week is a wonderful milestone — especially when they come from customers switching from competitors or based on personal recommendations. It shows that our investment in product quality, global support, and customer relationships is making a real difference.
Thank you to our clients and partners for your continued trust and support — here’s to more great partnerships ahead!
Cloud Document Maker update released (v1.13.0) enabling us to switch more Alpha Tracker clients to "instant reports" and no more document queue!
Jack and Bonggo have been working hard on a new Cloud Document Maker release and this went live yesterday.
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| Document queues - for not much longer! |
Cloud Document Maker (CDM) is our new method for producing quotations and asbestos reports within Alpha Tracker. It has been live for a while, and we have transitioned a number of customers over from the old method, but some asbestos reports have been difficult to switch because they relied on features not yet ported over to CDM. This latest update makes some of these features available and so we'll be working hard again on moving customers over.
Andrew's (second!) Big C Launch is getting closer!
It's not too long now before adventurer Andrew Bedwell sets off on his incredible cross-Atlantic world record attempting journey. He's hoping to cross the Atlantic in the shortest boat ever - a tiny vessel only about 1m in length.
Big C Atlantic Challenge Begins
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| Some of team in our Board Room with Andrew & Gordon joining remotely |
Andrew and friend & supporter Gordon joined a Start Software meeting this week to finalise plans for his new app. The app will available to supporters and will enable followers to:
- track Andrew's progress on a map (over 90+ days!)
- send messages of support
- read Andrew's "Captain's Log"
- see what wildlife Andrew has spotted
- understand the weather and sea conditions
- post ideas for a daily challenge which will help to keep Andrew entertained.
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| The Big C app development team |
Follow Andrew on Facebook here!
The 0333 301 1010 phone line is working again. Sorry for any inconvenience
Further to the blog post this morning https://blog.start-software.com/2026/01/telephone-service-issues-alternative.html we're happy to say that our 0333 301 1010 phone line is now operational again.
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| Sorry for the short outage this morning |
Do keep a note of the alternate number +44 (0)1952 288 316, just in case. You'll also find the number on our websites.
Telephone Service Issues – Alternative Contact Information
Service Update
We are currently experiencing issues with our main telephone
number:
+44 (0)333 301 1010
This may mean you are unable to get through, experience call drops or similar.
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| You can still call us or email us for support |
How to Contact Us in the Meantime
While our primary number is affected, please use one of the following alternatives:
- Alternative telephone line: +44 (0)1952 288 316
- Email support: support@start-software.com
Both options are fully operational, and our support team is ready to assist you as normal.
What You Can Expect
- All
support requests will be handled with our usual priority and service
levels.
- Once
our main number is restored, we will provide an update.
- No action is required from you—simply use the alternative contact routes above.
We appreciate your patience while the telephone provider
resolves the issue. If you need anything urgently, please don’t hesitate to
reach out using the working contact channels listed.