Best UK service stations revealed
Tebay on the M6 voted best motorway service station in the UK, with Extra the best brand
Research into the best UK motorway service stations has revealed family-run Tebay on the M6 to be the best.
The stop-off in Cumbria topped the standings and was the only location to achieve maximum five-star ratings, according to Which?.
Tebay, which is run by Westmorland, topped the league table of 26 locations most visited services with Charnock Richard Services, owned by Welcome Break, bottom. Charnock Richard, also on the M6 but further south in Chorley was in fact the first service station to open on the M6.
Tebay scored 90 per cent overall, well ahead of second placed Wetherby on the A1(M) with 69 per cent. The newly-opened Cobham station on the M25 scored 67 per cent, ahead of Peterborough's A1(M) stopover (61 per cent) and the M42's Hopwood Park (59 per cent).
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Service stations were rated in three categories - toilet cleanliness, food quality and customer score. Tebay received five stars for both toilet cleanliness and food quality with customers delighted by the fact it sells home-grown and local produce. Tebay also leases space to food and drink retailers who are free to set their own prices to increase competition.
It's a far cry from the average service stations which sell food, drink and fuel at highly inflated prices. Auto Express research in 2012 compared some of the prices at the Cobham station compared to a shop in the local village.
Extra - which operates Cobham - actually topped the UK list of service station brands ahead of Moto, Roadchef and Welcome Break, with a customer score of 60 per cent and was the only company to receive four stars for toilet cleanliness.
