Britain's favourite motorway services settled as full list ranks best and worst

05 October 2023 , 08:31

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Which service station ranks as Britain's favourite?

From stopping off for a quick toilet and coffee break to idling the time perusing the magazines in WHSmiths, almost every Brit will be familiar with the experience of a motorway service stop.

And now a new list may just settle the debate, as a survey reveals which of the hundreds of stops across the country's motorway network people love and loathe. The survey by TransportFocus spoke to 30,000 visitors at 120 stops across Great Britain to find out which one rated top of Brits' lists. And now the findings have been laid bare.

Rugby services on the M6 in Warwickshire has been crowned the best of our motorways, as motorists gave it a 100% satisfaction seal of approval. Runners up included Killington Lake on the M6 in Cumbria, and Annandale Water on the A74 in Scotland.

Annandale Water services near Lockerbie, Scotland, rated extremely highly (Alamy Stock Photo)

Honourable mentions meanwhile go to Wetherby services on the A1 in West Yorkshire, Stafford South on the M6 and Corley South, also on the M6. At all of the service stations, 99% of motorists highly rated its facilities, including toilet cleanliness and food and coffee stops.

The lowest ranked in the UK meanwhile can be found on the M62 between Leeds and Manchester. Hartshead Moor sits on the popular commute route near Huddersfield, ranking last out of the list of 120. Only 84% were satisfied - and while that figure doesn't sound too bad, it trails far behind the majority.

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Employee Janette Maud, 60, told The Mirror the stop is “a lot better than it was,". "We used to have Portaloos while the toilets were being renovated.” She said the lime green paint in the old loos was not a hit with weary travellers. “Now we’ve got tiles and even a shower in the women’s loo,” she stressed.

Toddington South and North on the M1 in Bedfordshire also ranked low with a score of 88%, while Bridgewater on the M5 in Somerset and the M6's Lancaster South also made the cut for the worst pit stops. The full list of the best stations can be seen below.

• Rugby (Moto) 100%
• Killington Lake (Roadchef) 99%
• Annandale Water (Roadchef) 99%
• Wetherby (Moto) 99%
• Stafford South (Roadchef) 99%
• Corley South (Welcome Break) 99%
• Chester (Roadchef) 99%
• Reading East (moto) 99%
• Leeds Skelton Lake (Extra) 98%
• Ferrybridge (Moto) 98%

And the worst UK service stations

• Membury East (Welcome Break) 89%
• Sandbach South (Roadchef) 89%
• Cardiff Gate (Welcome Break) 89%
• Sedgemoor North (Welcome Break) 89%
• Lancaster South (Moto) 88%
• Bridgwater (Moto) 88%
• Toddington South (Moto) 88%
• Toddington North (Moto) 88%
• Hartshead Moor East (Welcome Break) 84%
  

Susie Beever