UK motorway services among Europe's worst

Britain's motorway service stations are few and far between and still offer poor food at high prices, the AA says in its latest assessment.

Only Belgium and Holland rated lower for quality among the nine countries tested for the AA study. Out of the 10 British service areas surveyed, not one was rated "good"; only three achieved an "acceptable" rating and the rest were deemed to be "poor".

France was considered to offer the best facilities, achieving 10 "good" verdicts, two "acceptables" and just one "poor". Germany was runner-up and Austria third in the survey.

British service areas were praised for their layouts as well as the range of merchandise available. They were also rated highly for access for disabled people and the fact that they operate 24 hours a day.

The AA's policy director, John Dawson, said food quality, service and value for money were the most important factors to customers and that Britain fared badly on those. "When taking a break from the most congested roads in Europe, the UK driver is given poor-quality service areas," he said.

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