To some, a service station is a quick stop off for others it’s a chance for a bite to eat and a breather. Either way we’ve never really thought about the level of quality in a service station (besides some of the brand new ones), but apparently a Yorkshire service station has been named worst in the country.
Found on the M62, near Huddersfield, Hartshead Moor East, has the lowest satisfaction rating out of 119 services, according to Transport Focus. The independent transport watchdog asked 31,000 service station customers between May and July to come up with its conclusion.
The criteria for the survey focused on visitors’ opinions on toilets, staff, value of food & drink and electric vehicle charge.
Hartshead Moor East sits on one of the busiest routes crossing the Pennines from Yorkshire to Lancashire and has a satisfaction rating of 80%. Its toilet facilities gained a rating of 75% with regard to visitor content with the facilities at the site. The West Bound side of the Hartshead Moor services received a higher score of 87%.
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A spokesperson for Welcome Group said: “We are very disappointed with the results from our site at Hartshead Moor East. We have received the detailed comments from Transport Focus and we will be working closely with our teams to address the feedback from the report as well as prioritising the site for future investment.”
Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: “Many of us, when we think services, think about stopping for a toilet break – it’s reassuring to see that these are consistently highly rated. Our survey shows motorway service operators deliver good overall customer experience and facilities, but visitors don’t always feel they get value for money.”
AA president Edmund King said a decent provision of electric vehicle chargers is “the sort of facilities all motorway service areas should have”.
He added: “In terms of road safety, it is essential that drivers take a break at least every two-and-a-half hours, so it is vital that attractive service areas with all the facilities encourage drivers to stop.”
Check out the top-rated and worst-rated service stations below:
Top 5 rated service stations
- Rugby (M6): 100%
- Donington Park (M1): 99%
- Blackburn with Darwen (M65): 99%
- Strensham North (M5): 99%
- Medway East (M2): 99%
Worst 5-rated service stations
- Hartshead Moor East (M62): 80%
- Lancaster South (M6): 83%
- Charnock Richard South (M6): 83%
- Birchanger Green (M11): 83%
- Warwick South (M40): 84%
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Feature Image Credit: Google Maps
