Essex service station ranked amongst 'worst in England'

Birchanger came close to the bottom of the survey - placing at 115 out of 119.

Birchanger Services
Author: Matt SoanesPublished 19th Oct 2022

A motorway service station off the M11 near Stansted has been rated one of the worst in England in a new survey.

The Welcome Break at Birchanger came near the bottom of a poll by travel watchdog Transport Focus.

It looked at travellers views on the toilets and the value of the food - as well as access to things like access to electric vehicle chargers.

The survey of 31,000 people ranked 119 services, with Hartshead Moor East in West Yorkshire emerging as the least popular.

Birchanger came close to the bottom - placing at 115 out of 119.

The ranking was topped by Moto’s Rugby services on the M6 in Warwickshire - which was the only location to score 100%.

The average satisfaction score given by all users of services was 93%, including 61% who said they were very satisfied.

Just 3% said they were very or fairly dissatisfied.

Value for money of refreshments was a key area of concern, with only 63% of respondents describing it as fairly or very good.

In contrast, some 88% of visitors were satisfied with the toilets.

Meanwhile, 31% said they felt tired, stressed or frustrated when they arrived at a services, but just 7% had those feelings when they left.

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