Hartshead Moor East: Operator vows to invest after 'worst' rating

The site is operated by the Welcome Break group

A motorway service station on the M62 in West Yorkshire has been voted the worst in the country by customers.

Transport Focus said Hartshead Moor East, on the M62, near Huddersfield, had the lowest satisfaction rating out of 119 services.

The independent transport watchdog questioned 31,000 service station customers between May and July.

Site owner Welcome Break said it was "very disappointed" and would prioritise the site for investment.

Hartshead Moor East sits on a major route across the Pennines from Lancashire to Yorkshire, and Transport Focus said it had an overall satisfaction rating of just 80%.

The survey also found only 75% of visitors were content with the toilet facilities at the site.

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."

Food prices 'concern'

Hartshead Moor also has a site for westbound traffic, which received a higher score of 87%.

Transport Focus said its survey had asked people for their opinions on toilets, staff, the value of food and drink and electric vehicle charging.

Moto's Rugby services on the M6 in Warwickshire was the only location to score 100%.

The average satisfaction score given was 93%, including 61% who said they were very satisfied, while 88% said they were satisfied with the toilets.

Value for money of food and drink was the main concern raised, with 63% of people describing it as fairly or very good.

Toilets 'highly rated'

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 the high-quality provision of electric vehicle chargers at Rugby was "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."

Survey rankings

Top 5

• Rugby (M6): 100%

• Donington Park (M1): 99%

• Blackburn with Darwen (M65): 99%

• Strensham North (M5): 99%

• Medway East (M2): 99%

Worst 5

• Hartshead Moor East (M62): 80%

• Lancaster South (M6): 83%

• Charnock Richard South (M6): 83%

• Birchanger Green (M11): 83%

• Warwick South (M40): 84%

Source: Transport Focus