£12.3m rebuild of Lancashire service station complete (From Lancashire Telegraph)

£12.3m rebuild of Lancashire service station complete

2:29pm Tuesday 26th July 2011 in Rivington

A service station in Lancashire once voted Britain's worst by motorists has reopened after a £12.3 million rebuild.

Rivington Services on the M61, previously called Bolton West Services, was the subject of Peter Kay's TV mockumentary That Peter Kay Thing in 2001, starring the Bolton-born comedian as manageress Pearl Harbour.

Motorists voted the site, between junctions six and seven, as Britain's worst due to its crumbling 1970s buildings and poor facilities, which was likened to a "Third World country".

New owners, Blackburn-based Euro Garages, one of the UK's largest independent operators of petrol forecourts and convenience stores, has demolished the original buildings to make way for state-of-the-art facilities.

Much of the old northbound and southbound services have been demolished and the sites now feature glazed foodcourt areas, convenience stores, high-street outlets such as Starbucks, Subway and Burger King, parking for over 170 vehicles, a large petrol forecourt and a landscaped seating area.

Zuber Issa, chief executive of Euro Garages, said the completion of the redevelopment programme marks an exciting new milestone for the business.

He said: "We acquired the site in 2009 as we recognised we had the opportunity to transform it into one of the UK's leading motorway services facilities. That potential has now been realised.

"Over 70,000 vehicles use the M61 every day and as the only amenity on the motorway we know that Rivington Services will provide a welcome stop for passing motorists, whether they are commuters, holiday-makers or truck and coach drivers."