Sandbach

Sandbach
RoadChef
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Road:	M6 between J16 and J17
Address:	RoadChef Motorways Ltd Sandbach Motorway Services Area M6 Betchton Sandbach Cheshire CW11 2FZ
Telephone number:	01270 767134
Signposted from the road?	Yes
Opened:	1975
Grid reference:	SJ775603
Services type:	Two sites located between junctions, connected by a pedestrian footbridge.
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A number of surveys would lead you to believe that Sandbach is the worst service area the world has ever seen. The truth is that Sandbach has fought back, and today it's almost acceptable. Almost.

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Facilities

General: BT Openzone, Business Lounge (southbound only), Traffic Information
Restaurants: The Burger Company, RestBite, Costa Coffee
Shops: WH Smith
Fuel: Esso (pump types unknown)
Motel: none

Parking Prices

First two hours free for all vehicles, after which HGVs must pay £21, or £25 to include a £10 food voucher.

Further information is not available, please update this if you know.

Trivia

The services were one of few infill sites (where the sliproads were laid out before anyone had come forward to build the rest of it) which actually went ahead as planned. They were the first services to be built entirely by RoadChef, with Killington Lake being owned by BP.

The southbound side also houses a works unit.

Survey Results

In late 2006 the BBC's 'The Money Programme' took a look at the services. Whilst the northbound side was almost acceptable, southbound was dirty and the toilets had several broken locks.

In 2006, Holiday Which? graded the services at 2/5. This isn't bad, considering that there were a handful of 1/5s awarded.

The services were inspected by the AA on the 3rd and 4th of April 2004. These are their results:

Here the services were chosen as the worst in Europe, with the inspectors saying "You could stop for petrol and perhaps buy some provisions, but we wouldn't recommend taking a break there". The shops and staff were the only good things found: it had poor facilities, litter "everywhere", a dirty restaurant with a poor variety of unappetising food, high prices, dirty showers, the building and its facilities looked poorly maintained, it had no information and it had very little to help the disabled. Even the car park was poorly marked and poorly maintained.

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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: Anonymous Had breakfast there on 7th August. Every tray was filthy and each breakfast item, i.e. 1 sausage, 1 fried egg, 1 portion of baked beans etc worked out at £1 each ( if you bought 2 meals for £10). Come on, Road Chef, is it absolutely necessary to rip customers off with poor hygiene and overpriced food when you have large numebers of motorway travellers stopping there?????????? Posted: 15 Aug 2010, 10:56 Anonymous sir I had stopped at Sandbach North,when I went to order tea and coffee,I was asked if I was dining in or out,to which I replied IN. In due course I was presented with one tea,and one coffee both without miik to which I asked where is the milk I was shown two plastic bottles,I was slightly bemused by this so I asked the little girl cashier was she joking,too which she replied "No" so I picked up the bottle and poured the milk. I think by this a young security man became interested,I must tell you we are two senior citizens,and at no time was the cashire in any danger from us. I think a business the size of yours, ROADCHEF, surely you can afford a milk jug,it seemed to me it resembled a transport cafe of tthe 1940s I think you will be able to find these jugs on sale in varios retail outlets,if not ask one of your employees to loan you one. Presentation at the cashiers area was quite appalling Posted: 13 Aug 2010, 12:36 Anonymous i work here, you only get clamped if you park your car on the coach parking bays, there are signs and always have been, park on the car park if you have a car:s Posted: 21 May 2010, 11:40 peter h hgv driver hgv driver pulled on to sandbach services to use tolets and somthing to eat lorry park fullso had to park on the bottom end of coach park gone for ten min got clamped cost £255 for release how can a company like road chef condone this avoid road chef like the plague will get in trouble for not taking a brake Posted: 12 Feb 2010, 17:49 Anonymous Stopped at 10.40ish on a Sunday night. The Northbound building was completely closed with a sign on the door directing travellers over the footbridge to Southbound. Northbound and the bridge were deserted and scary. I'll try to avoid Sandbach services in future, though the Southbound side was decent enough. Posted: 09 Oct 2009, 09:28 chiller roadchef rocks! i work at this one! its not at all the worst servie station! might of used be Posted: 19 Aug 2009, 14:59 Mr Armitt June 2006 I was driving a hired van (6mtrs long) there was no where to park safely except in the coach and caravan area alongside other white vans and cars and I got clamped.I'd only left my van for a few minutes and the CPS Enforcement guy's hadn't even finished the clamping when I arrived back and despite saying I would move it they made me watch and then demand £250 this can't be right and I am fighting them. Posted: 08 Jul 2009, 15:05 Anonymous 5th july i park in coach area with a lgv recovery vehicle and got clamped £255 release fee there is no bays/lanes for commercial vehicles our hgv so i use lane which i thought was suitable for my vehicle also ther was caravans in coach lane/bay ????? wrong wrong wrong also road markings not clear (coaches only ) someone needs to kick this in the but Posted: 05 Jul 2009, 12:40 national brands furniture In reply to Kev Haynes We have contacted Granada T.V and hopefully they will expose this as entrapment and extortion by Roadchefs contactors. Posted: 03 Jul 2009, 15:00 anon stopped for a toilet and to get cash for fuel came outside to my vehicle being clamped and a £250.00 fee for release of my vehicle. Was appalled at the attitude of the clampers so much so was threatened by one of them and had witnesses to prove this who in turn was threatened to. I went into speak to the duty manager of the services and told them my concerns. They didn't seem interested but believe me they have not heard the last of this incident. I hold sandbach services fully responsible for their actions after openly admiting they were responsible for the clampers. Posted: 23 Jun 2009, 19:30
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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AA survey results from the Automobile Association, you can view the full report and what they were looking for in this PDF document.