Strensham services

Strensham Services
Strensham services (Worcestershire)
Information
County:	Worcestershire
Road:	M5 Motorway
Coordinates:	52°03′26″N 2°08′30″W / 52.057307°N 2.141718°W / 52.057307; -2.141718Coordinates: 52°03′26″N 2°08′30″W / 52.057307°N 2.141718°W / 52.057307; -2.141718
Operator:	RoadChef
Previous operator(s):	Kenning (1962 - 1994) Take a Break (1994 - 2001)
Date opened:	1962
Website:	Roadchef
Northbound services
Facilities:	Days Inn Motel
Fuel:	Texaco
OS grid reference:	SO893409
Southbound services
Fuel:	BP
OS grid reference:	SO904399

Strensham services is a motorway service station on the M5 in Worcestershire, England. In August 2011, it was rated as 4 stars (southbound) and 3 stars (northbound) by quality assessors at Visit England.

Unusually for a motorway service station, the two sites are about half a mile apart due to the proximity of junction 8 (for the M50 motorway). The services opened with the motorway in 1962 and have undergone many developments over time, largely due to the evolution of the motorway, which at the time of its opening ran from Birmingham to Strensham but now runs to Exeter some 100 miles southwards. It was the first service station on the M5.

The original service station opened with the M5 and M50 motorways in November 1962, though none of the original buildings survive in use. The M5, which was built with dual two-lane carriageways, was extended southwards, from junction 8 in 1969, with dual three-lane carriageways. It was widened between junctions 3 and 8 to dual three-lane carriageways in the early 1990s including a remodelling of junction 8 (M50). The proximity of the northbound area to the remodelled junction would have caused issues with traffic trying to join and leave the motorway and so it was relocated half a mile to the north on a new larger site in 1991. The exit from the southbound services has been altered to feed directly into the M50 junction. The former northbound area is now in use as a maintenance area, though due to the motorway widening this can now only be accessed from the local road network.

Wychavon District Council refused to renew the gambling machine permit for the service area in 1994, under its policy not to allow gambling machines in areas where food was sold to the public. The Kenning Motor Group, who operated the service area at the time went to the High Court to overturn the decision.