Watford Gap M1 services 'not going anywhere'

Matt Embleton, the site director, said nothing was happening to Watford Gap service station

One of the UK's first service stations is "not going anywhere", its director said.

It was suggested that Watford Gap facilities were to be bulldozed to make way for a new travel hub.

The site, in Northamptonshire, opened in 1959 and was visited by stars like the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

Site director Matt Embleton, said he had recevied "reassurance from the chief executive officer" about its future.

He added: "There's nothing happening to Watford Gap, and, if anything was to happen in the future, it would be for the good of the site in terms of making the customer journey much better."

Watford Gap services have been offering coffee and fuel to drivers on the M1 for 65 years

More than four million people visited the site last year, its owners said.

In the sixties, Watford Gap became famous for welcoming stars like the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix on their way to gigs down south.

Hendrix heard so much about the "Blue Boar", as it was then known, that he believed it was a London nightclub.

Hendrix heard about the venue from other musicians and believed it was a nightclub

Jen Roberts, the unit manager at the WHSmith shop, said she still spotted well-known people using the facilities.

She added: "I've met Anthony Joshua, Joanna Lumley, Freddie Flintoff - I've met about 60 people and I've got selfies of them all."

Jen Roberts, who manages the WHSmith shop on site, said she had met 60 famous people at the service station

BBC Radio Northampton planned to work with its owners, Roadchef, to mark its star-studded history.

The radio station produced a musical to celebrate Watford Gap's 50th birthday in 2009.

Mr Embleton said: "There's nothing [on site] at the moment but I think it would be a really good attraction for people to come and see.

"Often you'll see people sat looking out of the window over there, reminiscing about what they used to do on their bikes sixty-odd years ago - all sorts of stories."