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Frequently Asked Questions

MSO Home - Site Info - Frequently Asked Questions

Whether your question is about the site, the forums or motorway services, the most commonly asked ones can be found here. If your question hasn't been answered, feel free to contact me. For questions on a specific service area or operator, visit the relevant sections of the site or use the search bar.

Motorway Services

Terms:

Placement and Spacing:

History:

Extremes: (best, worst, biggest, etc)

Prices:

Visiting a Service Area:

Signs:

Owners and Operators:

Parking:

Design and Features:

Jobs and Careers:

Other:

Site Issues

The Main Site:

The Toolbar:

Login and Registration Issues:

User Preferences and settings:

Posting Issues:

Formatting and Topic Types:

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phpBB 3 Issues:

What does MSA stand for?

I suppose we better get this one out of the way first - it's an official term standing for motorway service area.

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What is the term for an a-road service area?
What does TRSA stand for?

The term MSA only applies to motorways, so a-road services are officially known as TRSAs - trunk road service areas.

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Why are some services located off junctions and some between them?

Originally services were built between junctions, however cost-cutting measures mean that today almost half of the services can be found off a junction, which means that the operator only has to run one building.

However, this is quite unpopular amongst travellers (it means they have to leave the motorway to get to the service area, and some of them can be quite a way away) and the Highways Agency (it leads to extra traffic at junctions). A compromise is now being reached where a services are being built on one side of the motorway, but with access to the other. This can currently be seen at four sites: Cobham, Gretna Green, London Gateway and Norton Canes.

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Why is Granada the root of all evil?

Granada is what Moto used to be known as, and they are indeed the root of all evil. This is explained in detail on the Moto page under 'history'.

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What are the smallest and quietest service areas?

It depends what you'd describe as a service area. If we're talking about one which is signed from the motorway then it's probably Pease Pottage followed by Chieveley, however neither of them are very quiet. Tiverton is probably the smallest service area owned by one of the mains operators, and Oldbury is probably the smallest service area covered on this site. As for the quietest, I really don't know.

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What constitutes a service area?

The Highways Agency have their own strict list of regulations, but basically it's somewhere that provides fuel, food, parking and toilets 24 hours a day. This only applies to motorways, anyone can set up a business and declare it a service area.

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How many service stations are there?

The problem is that different people have different opinions on what counts. To date, this site covers 105 of them, but that's with Sedgemoor and Stafford down as two different sites each, three unbuilt or proposed services, four services which are only accessible from a-roads and seven services which aren't signed from the motorway but are easily accessed from it.

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Why are motorway services so expensive?

Being commercial businesses, it's true that the operators just want your money. However, there are also several other reasons for services being so expensive, which are explained in detail on the prices page.

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Why are some services only accessible from one side of the motorway?

Rather than spending money on two sites, if an operator thinks that it is only worth building one of them they will. Sometimes the other side would be built at a later date, which is what happened at Southwaite and Tebay. Another way of doing things is to build the services on one side and then provide flyovers to the over carriageway, this is covered by question 3.

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What are the opening hours of motorway services?
Will [insert service area name] be open at [insert public holiday]?

By law, to be a motorway service area a site must be open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, albeit with reduced facilities during off-peak times. Generally, you can expect to find toilets, parking, fuel and food available all the time, although you may be directed to the services on the other carriageway or petrol forecourt.

Also note that if the services aren't signed from the motorway (or if they're not near a motorway) then they don't have to abide by this law, although it will say 'not 24 hours' on the signs if this is the case.

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Why are there so many services on the M6? (or any other road)

During the 1970s the Government decided that the most important motorways should have services every 12 miles, so they marked out points where they wanted the services and then waited for an operator to build a site.

However, they soon decided that this was unnecessary, so they stopped marking out points. Sometimes you will be driving down a motorway and you will get the impression that construction of a junction was started and then halted. This is usually because that was one of the Government's 'points' where they hoped that a service area would be built, but today the sites are too small for a modern service area and will probably never be used again.

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Who pays for the signs for motorway services?

This is covered in detail at the end of the On the Road page.

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What is the deal with the fuel price board on the signs approaching services?

This was originally for listing the price of fuel, and the type of fuel would be demonstrated by the symbol next to it. However, displaying the price of fuel would be more likely to send people away from services than attract them, and it is very expensive to keep operational so it is often missed out. Despite this, you do still get some new signs which display the price of fuel, although almost always with it covered up.

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Who runs the motorway services?

The services are owned by the Department for Transport and leased out on 50-year leases to private companies, the biggest three being Moto, Welcome Break and RoadChef.

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Where can I find WiFi at service stations?

All Welcome Break and RoadChefs offer BT Openzone Wireless Points, and RoadChef's are free. Many of the hotels and petrol stations do as well, but listing them would take all day!

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How do I book a hotel room?

You can usually just turn up on the night, but if you want to pre-book your room then you will need to contact the hotel. Contact me if you would like help doing this.

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Do you have any sister sites in other countries?

No, simply because I know very little about other country's motorway networks and if I were to list every service station in the world we'd be here all day! A quick Google search shows that there are very few websites about foreign service stations, perhaps it's because they're not as infamous as UK ones.

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What is the Services List?

The Services List is the original section of the site, containing a database of motorway services. Since the introduction of the A-roads section you will sometimes find the Services List referred to as 'Motorway Services' to avoid confusion.

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Which services and roads are included in the A-roads section?

Any road which I deem important enough can be included in the A-roads section, although for now I'm sticking to roads which are predominantly high-standard dual carriageway. Don't forget that there are still loads of roads to be added, I just need the time to do it.

On each road, the services are only included if they are signposted from that road. So, if there is a Little Chef or BP sited at the side of the road without any signs referring to it as a service station then it is not included. You may think that they should be included, but if I didn't draw the line there where would I?

Unfortunately, I haven't been on all the roads listed, so there may be mistakes or omissions, and if you have spotted one then please let me know.

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Why isn't the full length of the Axx included?

Sometimes only part of a road will be included in the A-roads section, usually because a section of the road is low standard and doesn't carry much long distance traffic (and therefore there isn't much point in me writing about it). It could also be that the last 20 miles of the road doesn't have any services, so there's no point including it.

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Which is the best service area?

Believe it or not, there are quite a few good ones out there, so it's hard to decide the best. Popular ones include Hopwood Park, Norton Canes, Stafford (North) and Tebay. Yes, that's one from each operator, which as well as being very nice of me it also shows just how varied each operator's facilities are.

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Which is the worst service area?

Again, each operator has bad services and it's hard to find the worst. Bolton West, Cullompton and Sandbach are regularly slated.

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Which service station is the most unique?

That would have to be Lancaster services on the M6, featuring a very 1960s spaceship-shaped tower.

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How do I buy a parking ticket?

Parking tickets can be bought from either a pay-and-display machine or from inside the services. Specific instructions can be found inside the relevant car park, and parking prices are explained on each service area's page in the Services List.

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What if I want to park for more than 24 hours?

At most services you will have to renew your ticket after 24 hours, this is to stop parking spaces being used inappropriately and to make sure there are enough for visitors.

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Will the [insert big sports match or TV event] be aired at [inset service area name]?

If the event is big enough then the answer is almost always yes. I'm not really the person to ask about this so for a definite answer you'll need to contact the operator.

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Is there an entering fee at services?

No. At any service area you are welcome to park up for less than two hours, walk around and use the toilet facilities and then drive out for absolutely nothing.

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What's with the 'back exits' into services? Can I use them?

'Back exits' (or 'rear exits', 'secret exits') are there so that emergency services, staff and deliveries can access the service area without having to loop around on the motorway. A list of them, as well as a more detailed explanation can be found on the Secret Exits page of the site.

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Where can I find a printable map of motorway services?

Head over to the maps section of the site, and scroll down for a printable one.

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Are there any services in Ireland?

Northern Ireland has no motorway services, they put this down to their motorway network being too small.

In the Republic of Ireland, the National Roads Authority used to be strongly against service stations, firstly because their network was too small and then they said it was because they would rather people used local facilities. In 2007 a new Roads Bill (a bit like a to-do list) had motorway services listed on it, then they were removed, then they were put back again. There are now plans for a few services in the Republic of Ireland, with Welcome Break being the main operator. Unfortunately, the plans for the services keep being put back.

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Are there any services which have permanently closed?

A couple of small service stations, small garages and Little Chefs have shrunk down and/or closed, but no proper motorway services. One half of Burtonwood was recently closed permanently, one half of Strensham was relocated, Leicester Forest East is due to close from 2017 due to road improvements, and Knutsford and Hilton Park have both been on the 'to be closed' list due to proposed new motorways.

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I was disappointed with the choice of food that was on offer.

During quiet periods, some of the operators will only cook the most popular meals and will offer the rest on-request, to save having to re-heat it. Don't be afraid to ask for something that's not on display.

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Why do some services have bridges and some not?

During different time periods different service area designs have been the norm. Currently, the Highways Agency don't like bridges because they shouldn't be necessary, so they just mean more structures to maintain and to get in the way. Similarly, the operators find the services which are built upon the motorway very expensive and hard to maintain, whereas they were very popular in the 60s.

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Why are so many signs for services tagged with 'now fully open'?

The operator is allowed to stick these signs up after refurbishing their sites, and there are restrictions on how long they can stay up (a few months to a year, I think). However, like the 'new road layout ahead' signs seen on our roads, they are often forgotten about and left for years. Last time I checked, Leicester Forest East's sign still read 'fully refurbished Spring 2004'.

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Is [insert service area name] disabled-friendly?

Motorway services meet the basic disabled-friendly requirements, and almost all of them have disabled toilets. Very few of them have steps that you'll need to climb up, and if they do you will find that the staff are often willing to help.

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What's with the disabled symbol found on service area signs?

This denotes that the services are disabled-friendly, but it is no longer necessary and will gradually be replaced by a 'picnic tables' symbol.

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Why do some services have their own-branded road signs?

Being private land, operators were originally allowed to design their own road signs. However, these have been slated for various reasons and new regulations mean that all new services must use standard direction signs.

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What is it like working at a service area?

Why would I know?! Some people like it, some people don't, I suppose it depends on your role, the site, the operator and your colleagues.

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Has anyone ever driven the wrong way out of a service area?

Oh yes, but probably less than the amount of people that enter a motorway junction the wrong way. One incident that springs to mind is in 2002 where there was a serious accident on the M4, and it's thought that it was caused by a driver leaving Membury services via the entering sliproad. The site was inspected and Welcome Break was cleared of the blame.

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What happens to a service area if the motorway is closed temporarily?

Nothing, it just goes very quiet. There would usually be a few visitors still there, and the operator can often rely on the other side of the road still being open to bring in a few customers.

Similarly, if there are long delays on the motorway then a service area may get a lot more visitors than usual. They just have to keep on going and live with it.

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What happens to a service area if traffic is directed away from it?

If it's a proper motorway service area then it would probably just be shrunk down, although the Highways Agency may try to give the services access to the new road.

The operator should be allowed to claim compensation off the Highways Agency or roads authority, Blue Boar did this when the M1 was built and were offered Watford Gap in return! That said, recently Moto tried to claim off the Highways Agency on the grounds that a poor new junction design at M40 J10 had discouraged traffic from visiting the services and failed.

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Which is the largest service area?

Until recently it was Clacket Lane on the M25, but the new Folkestone services now claims that title. New services at Beaconsfield and Cobham claim to be the biggest when they're built.

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What is a 'port early entry arrival facility'?

This is the idea behind the new Folkestone services on the M20 - traffic which is early for a ferry at Folkestone or Dover can pull up and kill any extra time which they may have.

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Which is the oldest service area?

Watford Gap on the original bit of the M1. It was built in 1959 and has since been refurbished beyond recognition.

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Do we still build motorway services?

After a bit of a dip, we are finally building more motorway services. There are currently two of them under construction, at Beaconsfield and Cobham, with Derby, Wetherby and Leicester having not long opened. Controversial services are being considered at Catherine-de-Barnes on the M42, Kirby Hill on the A1(M) and Kingswell on the M77. That isn't bad going considering that we are building very few motorways these days.

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Which is the newest service area?

This year has seen an unusual boost in motorway services, the newest is Derby which opened at the end of July, but not long after Leicester, Wetherby, and Folkestone. Until then the newest service area was Norton Canes which opened in 2003.

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How do I apply for a job at a service station?

Firstly you will need to identify the operator you'd want to be working for:

For Moto, you need to visit their careers siteOpen link in a new window.
For Welcome Break, you need to check their vacancy listOpen link in a new window and then e-mail the relevant site your CV (click on the green box on the page if you cannot find the job you want).
For RoadChef, you need to visit their On Your WayOpen link in a new window site and try their job search.

For the smaller operators you will need to contact the relevant service station.

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Which is the busiest service area?

Hilton Park broke the records in 2000, but the M6 Toll has directed some traffic away from it. There isn't any more recent data.

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Are motorway services safe?

It depends what you'd call dangerous. Some of the urban ones can be hit by undesirables, but no more so than an average place. The only thing which you need to be careful of is where abouts you park your car if you're going to be a while. If you go to the back of several sites such as Donington Park, you may find a lot of smashed glass. If you're staying overnight it shouldn't be hard to find a space near the front.

They are far from perfect though, with a game arcade and betting shops, just like any other building, they have had crimes committed. In 2000, Birch was burnt in arson. Welcome Break now have officers patrolling their services.

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Are motorway services clean?

Some of them are, some of them aren't. It's hard just to think of several repetitively clean services, as that list would be constantly changing. However, most services are bearably clean, it's just that very few are wonderfully clean.

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Do services sell alcohol?

No, even the hotels are forbidden to sell alcohol. It's to prevent people from driving on the motorways having just drank several pints.

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What is a rest area (RA)?

A rest area is exactly the same as a motorway service area, only they don't need to provide food or fuel. The idea has only recently been approved and so far only Todhills, which until the arrival of the M6 was a TRSA, has been classified and signposted as one. There used to be some owned by the Department for Transport, but they were upgraded to motorway services as they became very dangerous and the Department wanted an operator to look after them. Rest areas will be owned by operators.

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Do motorway services double up as park-and-ride sites?

Not yet, but the idea was recently approved. It's thought that when Beaconsfield services open they may have park-and-ride facilities. Many services are already used as unofficial park-and-ride points.

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Do motorway services double up as coach interchanges?

Yes, examples can be seen at Burtonwood and London Gateway.

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What happened to Gold Star?
Why do Extra share some services?

Gold Star used to be Extra's partner, and they used to own the petrol stations at Folkestone, Tibshelf and Winchester and lease them out to several different operators. Extra have now taken over and they lease all of the forecourts out to Shell.

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Why is there a transaction charge at cash machines at motorway services?

The transaction charges are usually set by Link, not the operator. At Motos, you will often find a free ATM hidden around the side.

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What happens if I'm sleeping in my car when I go over the two-hour limit?

Both Moto and Welcome Break claim that they will not issue parking fines for people who are sleeping in their cars, and neither will they wake drivers. On that basis, if you got a fine in such circumstances you would be able to appeal against it.

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Where do I park if my relevant parking area is full?

Find a different one, usually if you're less than a few minutes the operator won't notice and any parking fine issued for parking in the wrong area when the correct one is full would be invalid.

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I tried to call an operator or service area but the number you gave me was wrong!

Sorry about that. Be sure that the number is definitely incorrect, as some operators are absolutely awful at answering the phone. The problem I have is that some of the operators change their phone numbers quite frequently, and some of them don't announce their number anywhere at all! Because of this, I have to go on the most accurate source I can find, and if the best I can get hold of is a Highways Agency document from 2004 then I'll use that. If you can correct a phone number which is listed on this site then contact me.

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Why do some services appear to have two or three operators?
Why do some services try and keep the operator anonymous?
Why do some services list the operator as a high street brand?

On this site, you'll usually find that the name written before the slash is the company which runs the site, but the names written after the slash are the companies which are displayed as the operator on the road. For example, according to this site Strensham is ran by 'RoadChef/McDonalds & Costa' because although it is officially ran by RoadChef, the road signs refer to it as being ran by McDonalds and Costa.

If there is a reason for it being like this then it will say so on that services's page in the Services List, but often you'll find it's just for advertising reasons. Almost all services have a brand name next to the operator name, for example in the case of 'Welcome Break KFC', but this is ignored by the Services List.

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How often is Motorway Services Online updated?

I try to update the site every Saturday, but it is not always possible to do this.

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Is this site affiliated with any service area or operator?

No! We consider ourselves to be 'the eye of the public'. However, that doesn't mean that service station staff don't visit the site.

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Do motorway service area operators visit this site?

I can give you a straight yes for that one - they've even tried to rig the ratings a few times! Several members of the forums work for the operators, however it's up to them if they want to come forward.

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I want to join in but fear that I am too biased.

Don't worry - you could probably answer a few of our questions for us. And if you work for an operator, you could even learn a few things from our members, because remember that we consider ourselves to be 'the eye of the public'. All we ask is that you don't try to rig the ratings, it's really obvious when it happens!

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How do I contact you?

You can use the contact form or post in the discussion forums.

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Why is the list of former locations of a particular brand or operator so small, yet you say that they had lots of sites?

Services are only added to the list of former locations (and the list of current ones, for that matter) once we know for sure that they did or do exist. It's one thing to say that The Body Shop had stores accross the motorway network, but another to produce an accurate list of where they were. For this, we rely on member's contributions, because Motorway Services Online only has a list of facilities from 2005 onwards.

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The map of each service area starts too zoomed in!

Sorry, this is set by Google MapsOpen link in a new window and not me. You can zoom out using the bar to the left of the map, and next time you view that map it should jump straight to the zoom level last used.

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Where can I find more roads-related answers?

The CBRD FAQsOpen link in a new window would be a good place to start. CBRD also offers a Roads DictionaryOpen link in a new window and the kind folk at the SABRE ForumsOpen link in a new window are always willing to lend a hand. You may also want to send your quirky motorway and motorway history questions to Pathetic MotorwaysOpen link in a new window.

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What does Open link in a new window mean?

Clicking on this image will load the link it is next to in a new window. It usually comes after a link to an external site, and you can also load a link in a new window by right clicking on it and selecting either 'open link in a new window' or 'open link in a new tab'.

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Why are some roads underlined like this?

Whilst Motorway Services Online tries to avoid using technical terms and abbreviations, sometimes they slip through the net. If it wouldn't read well to put a definition next to the word, you can place your cursor over a word which is underlined like that to see a definition.

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Why doesn't Motorway Services Online cover a-roads?

The site has a strong bias towards motorways because of the title - Motorway Services Online. The site is slowly starting to cover aspects of A-roads services, but there isn't as much information out there on them, and they're not as big or busy as motorway ones, so including them on the site has never been that high a priority.

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You missed an update! What's the deal?

Believe it or not, I actually have a life. Sometimes I will have to drop an update due to time limitations in favour of a bigger one the next week.

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I have a photo to submit to the site. What do I do?

You can send them to me by running them through the upload form. You may want to read through the question below this one first, though.

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Do you want my photos?

Almost always, yes, but run it through a couple of questions first:

  1. Is the photo of a service area, brand or operator listed on the site?
  2. Is the photo fairly decent quality?
  3. Does a photo similar to this that is less than three years old already exist on the site?
  4. If the answer to the above question is 'yes', then is that photo released under a Creative Commons license? I would like to replace as many of these as possible.
  5. Is the photo fairly interesting?

If you still think that your photo is worth uploading, and it usually is, then run it through the upload form.

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What is the Live Feed/RSS Bookmark?

It's a news feed which you can download and it will add to a list every time the site is updated.

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Where can I get the Live Feed/RSS Bookmark?

To get the live feed you'll need a newsreader. Most modern and common internet browsers will have one built-in, such as most mobile phones, modern versions of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera. When you're using one of these browsers you will need to click on the orange icon next to the address bar when on this website, or visit this page and follow the on-screen instructions. Mobile phone users will have to find their RSS Feeds settings page and add 'http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/forums/bookmark.rss'.

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I found a mistake or typing error on the site.

Congratulations - why not tell me about it? You might just get your name on the site.

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How often is the site search index updated?

It's updated every Saturday, at 10pm at the latest. This is to coincide with when the main site is updated, although sometimes the site search index is updated during the week as well. There is nothing wrong with searching before the index has been updated, it just means that the results may not be as accurate as they could be.

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What is the toolbar?

The toolbar is a bar which appears on your browser beneath the address bar. Amongst other features, it has travel news, site updates and our very own search engine.

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Where can I download the toolbar?

You can download the toolbar by visiting the toolbar portal pageOpen link in a new window.

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Who made the toolbar?

The toolbar is made and powered by ConduitOpen link in a new window. You should contact them if you have technical or legal queries surrounding the toolbar.

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Why don't I see the toolbar on my browser?

If you have installed the toolbar and do not see the icon, or you installed a new version of Internet Explorer and the toolbar is no longer displayed, go to View > Toolbars and click on the Motorway Services Online option. If you don't see the toolbar listed, follow the instructions below.

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Why don't I see the toolbar in the Internet Explorer toolbar list?

Some earlier builds of Internet Explorer 5.0 have a known problem with their toolbars. The toolbar may be listed under the name 'Radio' (usually the second such listing). Go to View > Toolbars and click on the second Radio option.

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How do I move the toolbar to a different location?

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer 6.0, you must unlock the toolbars before you can move them. Right click on the toolbar and deselect the Lock the Toolbars option.

You can change the location of the toolbar on your browser by clicking and dragging the vertical separator bar to the left of the Motorway Services Online icon by placing the toolbar in the desired location. This functionality enables you to place two (or more) toolbars on the same line if you want to conserve space in your browser.

Please note that, as with all of Internet Explorer's toolbars, you can only move the toolbar to locations on the top of your browser window. Toolbars can not be placed on the side or bottom of the browser window.

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Does the toolbar conflict with my browser or other add-ons?

No, the toolbar is designed to run without affecting any other system add-ons.

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I'm trying to uninstall the toolbar but keep getting an error message. What should I do?

Ironically, you'll need to install the toolbar again and then uninstall it.

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Do I need to pay to use the toolbar?

No, like the rest of the site the toolbar is provided free of charge.

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When will you have the toolbar available for other platforms?

We are currently looking into the feasibility of implementing the toolbar for other platforms. Check ConduitOpen link in a new window's web site or forum for the latest updates.

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Do you support MSN explorer?

At this time the toolbar does not work with MSN Explorer.

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How do I uninstall the toolbar with Internet Explorer?

To remove the toolbar from Internet Explorer do as follows:

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How do I uninstall the toolbar with Mozilla Firefox?

To remove the toolbar from Mozilla Firefox do as follows:

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How do I login?

In the top-right corner of every page, beneath the search bar, is the options 'Login' and 'Register'. If you have already registered then click login and enter your username and password, and you'll be away!

You can also login using the link in the grey box at the top of every page in the forums, and using the login box at the bottom of the Forums Index.

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How do I logout?

If you are already logged in then in the top-right corner of every page on the site, beneath the search box, you will see the option to log out. If it says 'Login' then you aren't logged in.

Every page of the forums also has the option to logout, displayed in the grey box.

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Why can't I login?

There are several reasons why this could occur. First, ensure your username and password are correct - you should have had them e-mailed to you when you first registered. If they are, contact me, as either you have been banned, or, more likely, there is a problem at my end.

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Why do I need to register at all?

You don't - Motorway Services Online allows anyone to browse the site as a guest. However, registration will allow you to post in our discussion boards and define other features, such as definable avatar images, private messaging, etc. Registration is completley free and takes little more than a minute, so it is recommended you do so.

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Why do I get logged off automatically?

If you do not check the 'log me in automatically' box when you login, the board will only keep you logged in for ten minutes. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, such as at a library, internet cafè, university computer lab, etc.

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How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?

Within your User Control Panel, under "Board preferences", you will find the option 'Hide your online status'. Mark this as yes and you will be counted as a hidden user, meaning that you will only appear named to yourself, me and the moderators.

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I've lost my password!

Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset. Visit the login page and click 'I've forgotten my password'. Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.

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I registered but cannot login!

Check that your username and password are correct, you should have received an e-mail confirming them. If you're not getting anywhere but you think it's a problem at your end, then feel free to register again. However, if you think it's my end then contact me and I try to sort it out.

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I registered in the past but cannot login any more!

Try to locate the e-mail sent to you when you first registered, check your username and password and try again. If you haven't logged in for a while then it is possible that your account has died - this isn't something which I do intentionally but it does happen from time to time. You can either contact me or register again, but if you're not planning to use your account any time soon it may not be worth it.

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Why can't I register?

It is possible that the username you are trying to register under is either taken or blacklisted, in which case you will need to choose a different one.

If that doesn't work, check that you're using a genuine and correct e-mail address. If you're still having problems, it's possible that you're IP address has been banned. If that's the case, don't worry, as this is almost always caused by someone else whose IP address you now use. It's easy to sort out, so contact me and I'll try to whitelist you.

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What does the 'delete all board cookies' do?

'Delete all board cookies' deletes the cookies created by phpBB which keep you authenticated and logged into the board. It also provides functions such as read posts tracking. If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.

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How do I change my settings?

If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the board database. To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link which can be found at the top of board pages. This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.

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The times are not correct!

It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different to the one you are in. If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are not registered, now is a good time to do so. Motorway Services Online is based in the UK so the default timezone is GMT/BST.

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I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!

If you are sure you have set the timezone and Summer Time/DST correctly and the time is still incorrect, then the time stored on the server clock is incorrect. Let me know and I'll sort it out.

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How do I show an image below my username?

This is known as an avatar and is generally unique or personal to each user. You can change it by logging in and selecting 'user control panel', then 'avatar settings', where you can choose from our selection of pictures from the main site, or upload your own one. Be aware that there are filesize restrictions when uploading your own avatar, these are explained in detail on the upload page.

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What is my rank and how do I change it?

Ranks are displayed below your username and they are based upon either the number of posts you have made or your specific role on the site, such as a moderator. We have tried to keep our ranks as simple as possible, but please do not post rubbish just to increase your rank. If you do this, your post count and rank will simply be lowered.

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When I click the e-mail link for a user it asks me to login?

Only registered users can send e-mail to other users via the built-in e-mail form, this is to prevent malicious use of the e-mail system by anonymous users.

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How do I post a topic in a forum?

To post a new topic in a forum, click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You will need to register before you can post a message. A list of your permissions in each forum is available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens. Example: You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc.

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How do I edit or delete a post?

Unless you are a moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time. This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, though they may leave a note as to why they've edited the post at their own digression. Please note that regular users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.

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How do I add a signature to my post?

To add a signature to a post you must first create one via your User Control Panel. Once created, you can check the 'Add signature' box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio button in your profile. If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form. Remember that signatures will be displayed below almost every post you make, so try to keep them simple and clean.

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How do I create a poll?

When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the 'Poll creation' tab below the main posting form; if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls. Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea. You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under 'Options per user', a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.

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Why can't I add more poll options?

The limit for poll options is 10. If you feel you need to add more options to your poll then this, contact me.

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How do I edit or delete a poll?

As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator. To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic; this always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it. This prevents the poll's options from being changed mid-way through a poll. If you really want the poll to be changed, reply to the topic explaining what you want done and either myself or one of the moderators will make the changes.

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Why can't I access a forum?

Each forum has different permissions depending on its purpose. To view, read, post or perform another action you may need special permissions. Contact me for a more detailed explanation or to grant you access.

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Why can't I add attachments?

Attachment permissions are granted on a per forum or per user basis. I may not have allowed attachments to be added for the specific forum you are posting in. Contact me if you are unsure about why you are unable to add attachments.

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Why did I receive a warning?

I generally tend to let most things roll, so to have received a warning you must have done something quite serious. Nothing will happen if you receive a warning, however several of them can easily lead to a permanent ban. Contact me if you want to discuss a warning in further detail.

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How can I report posts to a moderator?

You should see a button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report. Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.

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What is the 'save' button for in topic posting?

This allows you to save passages to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved passage, visit the User Control Panel.

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Why does my post need to be approved?

It shouldn't do - with these forums, guests are allowed to post in the reviews area without approval, and they need to register to post at all in the main discussion boards. If it says that your post needs to be approved, do contact me, because if I don't know it needs to be done it'll never happen.

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How do I bump my topic?

By clicking the 'Bump topic' link when you are viewing it, you can 'bump' the topic to the top of the forum on the first page. However, if you do not see this, then the time allowance between bumps has not yet been reached. It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it, however, posting rubbish just to increase your post count or bump a topic won't make you very popular.

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What is BBCode?

BBCode is a special implementation of HTML, offering great formatting control on particular objects in a post. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, but tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and >. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.

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Can I use HTML?

No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML, this is for security reasons. Most formatting which can be carried out using HTML can be applied using BBCode instead (see the above question), and if it isn't, post a message saying how you want it formatted and either myself or one of the moderators will correct it.

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What are Smilies?

Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. :) denotes happy, while :( denotes sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form. Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may edit them out or remove the post altogether.

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Can I post images?

Yes, images can be shown in your posts. You should be able to upload the image directly to the board when replying to a topic or creating a new one by using the attachment facility, otherwise you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. 'http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif'. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc. To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.

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What are global announcements?

Global announcements contain important information and you should read them whenever possible. They will appear at the top of every forum and within your User Control Panel. You cannot post a global announcement, however if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it for you.

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What are announcements?

Announcements often contain important information for the forum you are currently reading and you should read them whenever possible. Announcements appear at the top of every page in the forum to which they are posted. As with global announcements, you cannot post announcements, but if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it for you.

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What are sticky topics?

Sticky topics within the forum appear below announcements and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them whenever possible. As with announcements and global announcements, you cannot post sticky topics, but if a message of yours is deemed important enough then I can upgrade it.

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What are locked topics?

Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended. Topics may be locked for many reasons, usually because they are out-of-date or the topic has descended into an argument. You may be able to lock your own topics.

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What are Administrators?

Administrators are members assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board - the site's administrator is me, Johnny, the same user as the one who runs the main site. Administrative issues on the site are cared for by a second user of mine, Admin.

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What are Moderators?

Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after the forums from day to day. They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material. This forum is moderated by Roadhog_001.

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What is 'the team? link?

This page provides you with a list of board staff, including board administrators and moderators and other details such as the forums they moderate.

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I cannot send private messages!

There are two reasons for this; either you are not registered and/or not logged on, or you have been banned form sending private messages. Contact me if this is the case.

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I keep getting unwanted private messages!

You can block a user from sending you private messages by using message rules within your User Control Panel. If you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user, let me know as I have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages or from using the site all.

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I have received a spamming or abusive e-mail from someone on this board!

I am sorry to hear that. The e-mail form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts, so e-mail me a full copy of the e-mail you received. It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the e-mail.

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What are my Friends and Foes lists?

You can use these lists to organise other members of the board. Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel for quick access to see their online status and to send them private messages. Subject to template support, posts from these users may also be highlighted. If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.

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How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?

You can add users to your list in two ways. Within each user's profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list. Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.

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How can I search a forum or forums?

Enter a search term in the search box located on the index, forum or topic pages. Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the 'Advance Search' link which is available on all pages on the forum.

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Why does my search return no results?

Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms which are not indexed. Be more specific and use the options available within advanced search.

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Why does my search return a blank page?

Your search returned too many results for the server to handle. Use 'advanced search' and be more specific in the terms used and forums that are to be searched.

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How do I search for members?

Visit to the 'Members' page and click the 'Find a member' link.

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How can I find my own posts and topics?

Your own posts can be retrieved either by clicking the 'Search user's posts' within the User Control Panel or via your own profile page. To search for your topics, use the advanced search page and fill in the various options appropriately.

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What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?

Bookmarking in the forums is much like bookmarking in your web browser. You aren't alerted when there's an update, but you can come back to the topic later. Subscribing, however, will notify you when there is an update to the topic or forum on the board via your preferred method or methods.

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How do I subscribe to specific forums or topics?

To subscribe to a specific forum, click the 'Subscribe forum' link upon entering the forum. To subscribe to a topic, reply to the topic with the subscribe checkbox checked or click the 'Subscribe topic' link within the topic itself.

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How do I remove my subscriptions?

To remove your subscriptions, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to your subscriptions.

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What attachments are allowed on this board?

You can upload most common and safe files such as .jpg images and .doc files. If you need help uploading a specific file, contact me for assistance.

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How do I find all my attachments?

To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.

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Who wrote this bulletin board?

This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and is copyright phpBB GroupOpen link in a new window. It is made available under the GNU General Public LicenseOpen link in a new window and may be freely distributed. See the link for more details.

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Why isn't X feature available?

This software was written by and licensed through the phpBB GroupOpen link in a new window. If you believe a feature needs to be added, please visit the phpBB website and see what the group have to say. Please do not post feature requests to the board at phpbb.com, the group uses SourceForge to handle tasking of new features. Please read through the forums and see what, if any, our position may already be for a feature and then follow the procedure given there.

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Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?

If you've got any complaints about the forums or a particular user or post, contact me. If you don't think that will get you anywhere and you believe that the problem is very serious, then you will need to contact the host - Motorway Services Online's is Site5Open link in a new window. Please note that the phpBB Group has absolutely no jurisdiction and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. Do not contact the phpBB Group in relation to any legal (cease and desist, liable, defamatory comment, etc.) matter not directly related to the phpBB.com website or the discrete software of phpBB itself. If you do e-mail phpBB Group about any third party use of this software then you should expect a terse response, if you get one at all.

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