Motorway service areas

Motorway service areas in the United Kingdom, also known as 'service stations' or 'services', are places where drivers can leave a motorway to refuel/recharge, rest, eat and drink, shop or stay in an on-site overnight hotel. The vast majority of motorway services in the UK are owned by one of three companies: Moto, Welcome Break and Roadchef. Smaller operators include Extra, Westmorland and EuroGarages.

The first service area in the UK was at Watford Gap on the M1, which opened with the motorway on 2 November 1959. As more service stations opened, the number of operating companies increased, such as Blue Boar, Kenning Motor Group, Pavilion, Take a Break and Esso. Through acquisitions and mergers there are now only four major operators, which has led to concerns about these companies having an oligopoly. In an attempt to break this monopoly, the government proposed allowing "mobile fast food vans" to operate at the areas, though this idea has not come about.

In 2007 an AA survey concluded that service areas had improved in the previous three years, but cleanliness and pricing were still major issues.

Opposition towards service areas has grown, with some planning applications being refused: some notable examples are Catherine de Barnes on the M42 and Kirby Hill on the A1(M), both of which have recently had applications refused. Despite concerns of local residents,Beaconsfield on the M40 opened on 17 March 2009, and Cobham services opened in September 2012.

Initially service areas were located between junctions (on-line sites), having their own entry and exit slip roads, with a separate site for each direction of travel, though a recent trend has been to locate service areas instead at junction sites: the two most recent openings, Wetherby and Beaconsfield, are examples: they are located at A1(M) junction 46, and M40 junction 2 respectively.

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