The planners felt that Kempshott was an important location because it would be the last place to provide any facilities for HGV drivers before they reached the end of the motorway. Perhaps that's what put the developers off - they knew that there were other facilities on local A-roads, such as the original Popham, and they didn't want to compete with them. The location of the Bridgwater and Gloucester services means both are often used by tourists heading to and from Cornwall and Devon for their holidays. What exists of the southbound onslip is quite long, even if it is very overgrown. The services would have Trumps Green was going to be the first motorway service area to be built close to existing houses. This "serious impact" formed the basis for the majority of the complaints, and was what had caused Redbourn to be dropped. Much of the trouble came from the Knowle Hill and District Residents Action Group, who felt they had been treated unfairly by being consulted on the route of the motorway, and then getting no say on the service area. It does have an amusing name, but unfortunately this bonus factor was not considered when planning motorways.

Revealed: the best and worst motorway services in the UK

The top three was also made up of Beaconsfield on junction 12 of the M40, scoring 4.18, and Gretna on the A74M between junctions 21 and 22, scoring 4.15. While Moto is responsible for the worst service station in the UK (Bridgwater), other brands also have some rest stops that you'd do well to steer clear of. Green Flag Limited, registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds, LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales, No. 01003081. Roadchef runs three of the UK's 10 worst services, including Watford Gap on the M1 (junctions 16-17, 43%) and Sandbach on the M6 (junctions 16-17, 42%), both of which earned a dismal one star for their range of facilities. Planned by Granada and Citygrove Leisure. Similar design to Stafford. Exit from the A30. Refused due to insufficient need and road safety concerns.

This was a cause for embarrassment for the Ministry. A few months earlier they had struggled to interest anybody in the service areas in the Lake District, and now they had failed at the M3's too. A re-think was needed, and they decided to cut their losses and leave Kempshott to lie fallow for now. The County Surveyor for Hampshire had pushed for just toilets to be provided here, but given the additional failure at Trumps Green (above), an urgent review led to Fleet taking all the limelight for the time being. The Observer Road Atlas of 1976 did mark this service area as open but unnamed. An Ordnance Survey sheet dated 1977 showed the north-eastbound exit from the M3 joined up to Beggarwood Lane, as it probably was during construction. In 1995, the Highways Agency confirmed that they still owned the land at Trumps Green south-westbound, but said that it was "not in use". There had been a plan to use some of it to widen the M3, but this didn't happen. More recent maps show the national highway authority owning a large swathe of land by the north-eastbound side, but not south-westbound. Only he’s not so adorable anymore. Don’t worry, he’s still got his cute little face, just on a much much bigger appendage. He must have been flaccid before because now he’s four feet of pure magnificent shaft. At some point this year, you will have to pull into a motorway services. But the kind of experience you have – supreme or shoddy – will depend on which services you use. A new survey has revealed that there’s a huge difference between the best and worst.

motorway service station in It’s official: this is the best motorway service station in

Visit Telford services at Junction 4 of the M54 in Shropshire at your peril! At least that’s what one reviewer said. “Stay hungry. Stay thirsty. Whatever you do, don’t stop here,” claimed a review that Brindley found.It could be the difference between a home-cooked meal in peaceful surroundings or crowded queues in downright dirty facilities. Service stations are regularly used by tourists travelling to and from popular holiday destinations. Of course, you could take your chances and just stop when the mood strikes, but be warned that we've found the majority of service stations are mediocre at best, while the worst are expensive, dirty, inconvenient and don't pass muster when it comes to ease of maintaining social distancing.

Photos of Trumps Green - Motorway Services, Gallery:Trumps Photos of Trumps Green - Motorway Services, Gallery:Trumps

Only just behind was Gretna on the A74(M) between Junction 21 and 22. This is proof that Welcome Break can get services right, recording an average score of 4.15. It was narrowly ahead of Westmoreland-run Gloucester on the M5 between Junctions 11A and 12. One reviewer waxed: “It’s essentially a big, beautiful farm shop.” And where are the worst? The motorway's public inquiry was strongly against building the service area, but it was considered too important to drop and revised layouts were analysed. The exact position of the north-eastbound service area still hadn't been chosen. One option would have had the north-eastbound service area further west, by Longcross Studios, where land was being sold at the time. On the Monday morning when I drop in, there’s another type of visitor in evidence: a throng of harried-looking parents dropping toddlers off with their grandparents on a detour from the morning commute. Once inside, the reason becomes clear: there’s a brand new and very large soft play set up in one corner. And, unlike the norovirus-inducing dirt-traps in most towns, it’s sparklingly clean and free to use. The theory at the time was that service areas close to London would make the most money. With its high traffic levels and proximity to the M25, Trumps Green is still a desirable location today. Forecasts in the 1970s said this was going to be the most profitable service station in the country. So why wasn't it built?The notion of a future motorway service area at Kempshott continued to be part of the Hampshire Local Plan, until the Highways Agency requested it be removed in March 1995. They confirmed that they still owned the land, but said that it was "not in use". By this stage, building new service areas was no longer their responsibility. Opened in 1959, poor old Toddington Northbound has seen better days. Its lino comes trodden with a pattern of dirty footprints and there’s a persistent smell of stale fast food in the air. This, like many other service stops, is not a place to linger. It’s what Alan Partridge’s creators must have had in mind when they moved him into a fictional motorway hotel (the Linton Travel Tavern) as his career crashed spectacularly. The findings were based on around 5,600 experiences by 2,700 consumers at 68 motorway service areas. Welcome Break, meanwhile, has the dubious distinction of being responsible for half of the UK's 10 worst service stations. Birchanger Green (M11, junction 8), London Gateway (M1, junctions 2-4), Keele (M6, junctions 15-16) and Newport Pagnell (M1, junctions 14-15), all received a low customer score, but none are as bad as Gordano on the M5 (junction 19, 40%).

Motorway Service Stations - Card Games Bubblegum Stuff Motorway Service Stations - Card Games

In the 1960s, the Ministry of Transport were working on a three stop plan for service stations on the M3 that was about to begin construction. The County Surveyors Of Hampshire's joint report recommended using Shepperton, Windlesham and Andwell, but the Ministry didn't like the spacing of those and instead went with: Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: "The results of our survey show that it pays to plan ahead to avoid some of the UK's worst motorway services. Are your colleagues still coming up to your desk and asking you to do things for them, even though you told them you’re completely swamped with work? Are they flooding your inbox with reminders?Based on the average score of its service stations, the M40 was the best served motorway, followed by the M1 and M62. Just choose a secret word and follow the simple instructions and you’ll be able to turn gift giving or office parties into a Da Vinci Code themed event no one will soon forget, even if they desperately want to. Change the secret code as many times as you like; the five tumblers, each having a 26 letter alphabet, provide you with just under 12 million code possibilities. Head further down the M5 from Gloucester and you’ll get to Bridgwater at junction 24. Run by Moto, one reviewer said: “Doesn’t offer much and time has left it behind.” Which motorway has the best services? No location for Pitmore Copse services has been provided, but the mileage given would place it at what's now M3 J12.