7 hours ago
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There are less than 80 miles between them, but the gulf in quality is massive, according to a Which? survey that ranked Gloucester services top of the stops, and Bridgwater bottom.
For many people motorway service stations are a place to take a break, grab a snack and use the toilet, but the rankings from the consumer recommendation group, which surveyed users of nearly 100 service stations across Great Britain, highlight the best and worst.
The gulf in standards is vast, with some described as “perfect to break up your journey” while others “look and feel filthy” and smell of “stale urine”.
The rankings place Gloucester higher than 89 competitors, awarding it five-star ratings in several categories such as shops, food and drink, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility, and outside space.
The M5 service station, which earned an overall rating of 85%, is owned by Westmorland Family, which also owns Tebay services in Cumbria and Cairn Lodge in Lanarkshire, which finished second and fourth respectively.
They are joined in the top five by Rugby services, owned by Moto, in third and Extra’s Leeds Skelton Lake in fifth.
Moto’s Rugby branch is one of 37 stations the company owns that are spread across the list, including nine in the bottom 10.
Moto’s Bridgwater station in Somerset ranked last, with a customer score of 23% and one-star ratings across all categories. Only slightly above is Leeming Ba in North Yorkshire, also ranked one star across the board and with a score of 26%.
The rankings were compiled by more than 4,000 Which? members based on their experiences during a combined 9,000 visits to service stations across Great Britain.
Ken McMeikan, the chief executive of Moto Hospitality, said the survey results used a smaller pool of respondents than a previous study that ranked Moto stations highly, and that the company was investing heavily in improving the facilities of its branches, where cleanliness was mentioned by numerous respondents as an issue.
“The most recent independent Transport Focus study, conducted in the summer of 2023, surveyed a significantly larger group than the Which? panel,” he said. “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.”
