Strensham
| Strensham | |
| RoadChef | |
| Road: | M5 between J7 and J8 |
| Address: | Roadchef Motorways Ltd Strensham M5 Service Area Strensham Hillcroome Upton-upon-Severn Worcester Worcestershire WR8 0BZ |
| Telephone number: | 01684 293004 (northbound) 01984 290577 (southbound) |
| Signposted from the road? | As McDonalds/Costa |
| Opened: | 1962 |
| Previous operators: | Kenning Motor Group, Take-a-Break |
| Grid reference: | SO893407 (northbound) SO903399 (southbound) |
| Services type: | Two sites staggered between junctions, with no public connection between them. |
| Visit Strensham/RoadChef's official website | |
Strensham is a popular and modern service station, especially the southbound side. The southbound side holds a whole new list of brands including WH Smith and McDonalds as part of a successful trial which was supposed to be rolled out at all RoadChef services.
Contents |
Facilities
Northbound
General: Game On, BT Openzone, Meeting Room, Traffic Information
Restaurants: RestBite, Wimpy, Costa Coffee, Pizza Hut Express
Shops: WH Smith, Fonebitz, Cotton Traders
Fuel: Texaco (pump types unknown), with a Subway outlet
Motel: Premier Inn[book rooms]
Southbound
General: Game On, BT Openzone, Picnic Tables, Traffic Information
Restaurants: Soho Coffee Co, Hot Food Company, McDonalds, Costa Coffee
Shops: WH Smith, Fonebitz, Cotton Traders
Fuel: BP (pump types unknown)
Motel: Premier Inn[book rooms] - on northbound side, follow directions across bridge
Parking Prices
First two hours free for all vehicles, after which HGVs must pay £20, or £22 to include a £10 food voucher.
Further information is not available, please update this if you know.
Trivia
The two sides of the services are a good mile apart. Originally the services were built just like any other, if a little close to M5 J8. During the early 90s the M5 here was widened and J8 improved, bringing it closer to the services. This was used as a chance to move the northbound site further north, and the old northbound site became a works depot, and the southbound site's exit was been changed so that traffic leaving the services is thrown onto J8, rather than trying to merge onto a motorway which is full of traffic trying to leave. There is an extra lane between J8 and the northbound services, giving us a very rare scenario where there is a lane drop into a service area.
The northbound site has an air ambulance base which was built in 1998, and when RoadChef grasped hold of the services in the late '90s they bulldozed the southbound site and replaced it with something much more modern. Today this is the operator's busiest and most profitable service area, with Norton Canes coming a close second.
The original plan for the new southbound services included a mini-roundabout at the entrance to the car park, but this was changed as it would involve traffic coming up the sliproad to give way to people leaving the car park, potentially causing queues back on to the motorway.
During the floods of July 2007 the M5 here was completely unusable, and just about every building in the services was used as a depot for stranded motorists. The manager at the time, Quintin Speers, was hailed a hero for working almost non-stop over several days to make sure that people stuck both in the water and the resulting queues were well-informed and safe.As part of the refurbishment, the signs for the southbound services now read 'McDonalds Costa' rather than the usual 'RoadChef Costa Coffee'. The refurbishment cost £1.6million.
In 2005 there were plans to build a motel at the northern edge of the southbound services, but these were rejected, partially because the services were already struggling to keep up with demand. Instead, the area was used as an overflow car park.
RoadChef executive Simon Turl was interviewed live in the services on GMTV on 1st May 2009, attempting to justify the prices after Which? stated that all services are unnecessarily expensive.
In 1991 the services were thought to be one of the worst in Britain with staff morale at an all-time low. This was quickly turned around.
The southbound services are significantly busier than the northbound ones, attracting approximately 3% more traffic.
Survey Results
No information is currently available, please update this if you have any.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Frankley (29 miles) Hopwood Park (M42, 31 miles) | Services on the M5 |
Michaelwood (32 miles) Ross Spur (A40, 22 miles) |
| Stafford (South) (M6 south, 63 miles) | RoadChef services | Sedgemoor (South) (M5 south, 69 miles) |
Comments and Reviews
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