The UK’s best and worst motorway service stations have been revealed in a new ranking, and the worst one smells of “urine”.
A service station in Somerset has been named the worst in the UK. (Image: Google Streetview)
A new list has revealed the best and worst service stations across the UK – and the one on the bottom of the list, according to reviewers, smells of “stale urine”. The list was shared by Which? and surveyed users of nearly 100 service stations across Great Britain. When it comes to service stations, some have better offerings than others, often with restaurants and cafes to choose from as well as shopping opportunities.
However, some leave drivers with a bit more to be desired, as revealed in this study. Taking the bottom spot on the list is Moto’s Bridgwater station in Somerset. It received a customer score of just 23% and in all categories considered, it received just one star. The harsh rating comes as customers in the service station describe it as somewhere they don’t enjoy visiting, with one person saying there’s a smell of “stale urine” and another saying that the facilities “look and feel filthy”. The food and drink here was also quite poorly rated, the study revealed.
“Turn around.” Which? says. “You don’t deserve this. Nobody deserves Bridgwater. To save space, developers appear to have squeezed these services into a tiny industrial estate, with inadequate parking in a poorly lit multi-storey car park that gets jammed up with bewildered motorists trying to escape.”
The second-lowest ranked service station in the UK, according to the Which? study, is the Moto service station in Leeming Bar (A1) with a score only slightly higher than the one in Somerset, getting a 26% approval rate.
Following that is Lancaster (M6) and Hilton Park (M6), both with scores of 34%, and Thurrock (M25) with a score of 35%. On the other end of the scale, the best service station in the Uk was revealed to be Gloucester services (M5) with a score of 85%.
In second place is Tebay (M6) with a score of 77% followed by Rugby (M6) with a score of 75%, Cairn Lodge (M74) with a score of 72% and Leeds Skelton Lake (M1) with a score of 68%. The first place winner ranked number one in a number of categories such as shops, food and drink, outside space, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility.
“The best service stations are a convenient pit stop with decent food and facilities, however our survey shows those are few and far between and many services are not up to scratch,” said Which? travel editor Rory Boland. “Poor facilities and extortionate prices for food and drink were widespread complaints, but most shocking of all was how drivers told us just how many services were unclean. To avoid disappointment, people should plan their route to avoid the worst service stations and look for alternative places to stop.”
However, Ken McMeikan, the chief executive of Moto Hospitality argued that a similar study conducted in 2023 that used a larger pool of results ranked their stations high. He commented: “The most recent independent Transport Focus study, conducted in the summer of 2023, surveyed a significantly larger group than the Which? panel.
“Moto achieved an average customer satisfaction score of 94% across our motorway service areas. This feedback highlights the positive impact of our ongoing efforts. We are committed to reviewing the specific issues raised by the Which? panel and will continue to strive for enhancements across all sites. Our goal is to ensure that we always meet the high standards and expectations that our customers deserve.”
