Burtonwood

Burtonwood
Welcome Break
9 photos in the gallery
Road:	M62 at J8
Address:	Welcome Break Group Ltd Burtonwood Motorway Services Area M62 Great Sankey Warrington Cheshire WA5 3AX
Telephone number:	01925 651656
Signposted from the road?	Yes
Opened:	1974
Previous operators:	Trusthouse Forte
Grid reference:	SJ576913
Services type:	Single site located at a junction.
Visit Burtonwood/Welcome Break's official website Staff Reunion Site

A shrinking service area at the end of the M62, it was recently refurbished after one of the two sides were closed.

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Facilities

General: BT Openzone, Welcome Break Gaming, Showers
Restaurants: Starbucks, KFC
Shops: WH Smith
Fuel: Shell (pump types unknown)
Motel: none

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £8 and caravans, coaches and HGVs £17.50. These prices include a £2/£7 food voucher respectively.

Prices can be paid in the shop, with instructions in each car park. They are strictly enforced by ParkingEye.

Trivia

The abandoned westbound services

Burtonwood has slowly, over time, become a rather neglected service area. They were badly hurt when the missing J8 was utilised to serve Gemini Retail Park and the westbound services have now been boarded up and abandoned. Westbound traffic can access the eastbound services via the J8 roundabout and the old emergency access road. This was first proposed in 2000 when the Highways Agency built the new J8, but it didn't happen.

Before the closure, Burtonwood had very much become a 'no-go zone' amongst truckers as it was renowned for being dodgy and dangerous. Halving the site meant that some of the facilities had to be lost, including (unusually for a Welcome Break), the lack of a Burger King and a Coffee Primo. The old westbound side has now been demolished and become part of the retail park.

On the other hand, the eastbound site has been refurbished and it has joined up as a coach interchange.

The services consist (or consisted) of two pagoda-style buildings which are visible from the motorway. They are said to be haunted as they are built on the site of a disused airfield where an aircraft crashed in the '50s. Perhaps that's why they didn't do very well.

Survey Results

In 2008 the services won a five star loo award.

Alternatives

Comments and Reviews

Showing the most recent responses only: for the full thread and the ability to edit your own posts, you need to view the topic in the forums.
Author: Message: Burtonwood DGM This site has just this month returned to opening 24 hours. For the remainder of June, visitors can claim a free hot drink between 2200 hours and 0600 hours, by producing a promotional flyer. Flyers are available on site. No purchase necessary. Posted: 11 Jun 2009, 22:50 MatthewB6323 Alan wrote: Originally owned by "Motorchef" I don't think they had any more sites though Motor Chef was a common sign on motorways in the 1970s - it was the trading name of Trust House Forte's MSAs. Posted: 30 Nov 2008, 15:23 Liz The signs getting me off and back to the M62 going West confused the hell out of me. Posted: 28 Nov 2008, 14:13 Alan Originally owned by "Motorchef" I don't think they had any more sites though Posted: 09 Nov 2008, 19:01 davehammer Seen some pictures recently of the inside of the boarded up Westbound building. It looks as though they've just left most of the stuff in there. Even saw mention of 'The Game Zone' and 'The Shop'. Proper blasts from the past there! Posted: 27 Aug 2008, 19:30 Admin Post your comments and reviews for Burtonwood here, or you can return to Burtonwood. Posted: 05 Sep 2005, 19:05
Showing the most recent responses only: for the full thread and the ability to edit your own posts, you need to view the topic in the forums.

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