YouTube filmmaker David Burnip has documented his visit to what he describes as the 'worst motorway services in the country', cutting his review short after being repulsed by the state of the toilets. The video, posted on his Wandering Turnip channel, contrasts the 'middle-class haven' of Tebay Services on the M6 with the 'apocalyptic' atmosphere at Leeming Bar services in North Yorkshire.
At Leeming Bar, off the A1(M), Burnip found an abandoned hotel that has been disused for over a decade, a run-down petrol station, and a single Costa Coffee kiosk. He described the emptiness as 'deafening' and a 'vacuum of life', adding that the site felt like 'the apocalypse has already begun'. The hotel was scheduled for demolition last year but the plan was not carried out.
Burnip, who normally rates toilet facilities as part of his reviews, said he could not bring himself to enter the lavatories. 'When I opened the door it was that bad I could not even bring myself to go in, so zero out of 10 for the toilets,' he stated. The only positive note was the staff, with Burnip praising the 'lovely' lady working at the Costa.
He concluded that Leeming Bar is 'an absolutely useless service station in such a horrible setting that it's just clinging onto life'. The services have faced competition from the Coneygarth Truck Stop, opened in 2014, and other nearby facilities.
A spokesperson for Moto, which owns Leeming Bar, said the company would 'review the specific feedback' and look to make improvements as part of an ongoing modernisation programme. They noted that £55 million has been invested across the network in the past two years, with 75% of toilets upgraded.
