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South Mimms is revamped but new look comes at a price
Page 18
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Worth the money? Now you'll have to dig deeper to stay WELCOME BREAK has spent £90,000 on improvements to its South Mimms service station after drivers said it was the worst motorway service area on the M25. But to pay for the enhancements, the cost of overnight parking has leaped by 50% to £15.
General manager Hak im Attou says the charge is good value, as it includes £2 off the cost of a meal. He admits the higher price has caused some drivers to stay away, but points out that the 122-space truck park is as full as ever. Yet the truckstop still appears to be suffer ing from a poor image. Pat Nicholson, a founder of the Professional Drivers-Association which is peti timing the government for more motorway parking, says: "They won't go near it because of the queues to get in and for diesel."
In last week's CM, South Mimms came in for scathing criticism during an investigation into the main truckstops on the M25. Drivers also gave it the thumbsdown during market research to find out what drivers wanted from a new truckstop on the A14 in Suffolk (CM, 9 October).
Karl Rout, the farmer behind the A14 project, says: "We talked to 400-500 drivers, and South Mimms came out worst. We felt it was dirty, and decided not to eat there when we visited in April."