It's a long way from the top of the stops

WHY SERVICE STATION INSPIRES LITTLE AFFECTION

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS

STOPPING at a motorway service station is a necessity rather than a pleasure.

A break from driving, something to eat and drink, a loo stop and filling up with petrol are the only reasons to pull off the motorway.

Nottinghamshire has just one service station, Trowell Services, between junctions 25 and 26 on the M1 - and the results of a recent survey don’t show it in a good light.

Consumer champion Which? asked more than 4,000 members to rate their experiences of 90 service stations around the country, based on categories including prices, the food and drink selection, facilities, cleanliness, convenience, accessibility and outside space.

It's not a spot I'd normally stop at because it’s so close to home, but I took a detour off the motorway to check it out why the Moto-run services scored just 41%, putting it in the bottom third of the table.

While the survey's number one pitstop, Gloucester, is described as “easy on the eye” and a “true destination”, the same can’t really be said for Trowell.