Kentish Express Ashford & District
Drivers suggest giving roadside stop the swerve
M-way services deemed among worst in land
Filthy toilets, “fast” food that takes an age to arrive, and “zombie like” staff.
These are just some of the complaints levelled by underwhelmed motorists against Maidstone motorway services - rated by consumer group Which? as among the worst roadside pit-stops in the land.
The Roadchef rest area at junction 8 of the M20 comes in the bottom 10 of almost 70 service stations rated by Which? members.
Roadchef operates 30 service stations across Britain housing brands such as McDonald’s, Costa and WHSmith.
Tripadvisor reviews of the facilities at the Maidstone services, which is often used by travellers heading to the Channel ports, paint a bleak picture of the experience awaiting hungry drivers or those in search of a caffeine hit.
Diners at the branch of McDonald’s - often a byword for consist
ent fast food worldwide - rate it as just a 2.5 out of five, with one irate customer criticising staff who “potter about uninterested” and leave some burger fans waiting anything up to half an hour for their grub.
The picture appears little better for those looking to grab a hot drink, with Costa Coffee also copping a 2.5 average rating from users of Tripadvisor.
However it is not all bad, with guests of the on-site Days Inn hotel giving it a 3.5 from five, with a majority of satisfied customers branding it either excellent or very good.
A spokesman for Which? said: “Based on the experiences of thousands of Which? members, we’ve rated nearly 70 service stations in a range of categories, including the range and quality of shops and food outlets, prices, convenience, cleanliness and ease of maintaining social distancing.
“As our survey reveals, you risk running into dirty facilities, bad food and poor social distancing. And possibly all for nothing, as you often only need to drive on a few miles to find a better service station.”
A spokesman for Roadchef said: “We were extremely disappointed to read comments made in relation to our Maidstone services in the recent Which? report and on Tripadvisor.
“We believe the Which? survey was undertaken at a particularly challenging time for the industry and is not a fair reflection of our pre-Covid offering.”
Last year the roadwork-riddled M20 was rated England’s worst motorway for the second year in a row.