The best and worst Scottish motorway service stations as rated by Which?

The failure of poorly-rated motorway service station operators to improve their dismal facilities is criticised by consumer champions in a report on Friday which found little has changed since their last survey four years ago.

Which? singled out Moto, which had nine of the ten worst rated sites among the 90 surveyed, including Kinross on the M90 which was given a customer score of just 36 per cent.

Welcome Break runs two motorway service areas in Scotland | Russell Sach/Welcome Break

However, it praised operator Westmorland Family for again dominating the top of the poll with three of the top four, including fourth placed Cairn Lodge on the M74, which scored 72 per cent.

Cairn Lodge, on the M74 in Lanarkshire, came third out of 70 in a Which? poll of more than 2,700 of its members. | Contributed

Which? said very little had changed since its last survey in 2021 and the 9,000 visits by its members for the latest report “still paint a bleak picture of a motorway network that’s blighted by dirty, dated and inadequate services”.

They were rated for for food and other prices, shops, food and drink selection, facilities, cleanliness, convenience and accessibility and outside space.

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Gloucester services on the M5 - run by Westmorland - again came out on top with 85 per cent, with one customer describing it as “head and shoulders above all the others I've used”. Which? said its Cairn Lodge site scored well in all categories except for prices.

The worst rated site, Moto Bridgwater, also on the M5, scored only 23 per cent for its inadequate parking, and cramped and overpriced facilities that “look and feel filthy”.

In Scotland, the other four service stations on the M74 and A74(M) between Glasgow and the Border received middling scores - 56 per cent for Roadchef at Annandale Water, 53 per cent for Welcome Break at Gretna and 46 per cent for the operator’s Abington site. Worst was Roadchef’s Hamilton site with 38 per cent.

Scotland’s two other motorway service areas received poor ratings - 40 per cent for Moto’s at Stirling on the M80 and 36 per cent for its Kinross site on the M90.

Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: “Many services are not up to scratch. Poor facilities and extortionate prices for food and drink were widespread complaints, but most shocking of all was how drivers told us just how many services were unclean.

“To avoid disappointment, people should plan their route to avoid the worst service stations and look for alternative places to stop.”

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "It seems plenty of operators are making a right meal of trying to provide decent facilities.

"Drivers should be taking breaks not just for their own comfort but in the interests of safety to help fight fatigue.

“Anything that discourages them from stopping and encourages them to drive on to find clean service areas with reasonably priced fuel and food is worrying.”

Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy, said: “Drivers could be forgiven for feeling held to ransom over the cost of fuel and food when they are readily available at a fraction of the cost a short distance away from the motorway.”

Moto chief executive Ken McMeikan said: “We are committed to reviewing the specific issues raised by the Which? panel and will continue to strive for enhancements across all sites.

“Our goal is to ensure that all we always meet the high standards and expectations that our customers deserve."