Filthy toilets, "fast" food that takes an age to arrive, and "zombie like" staff.

These are just some of the complaints levelled by underwhelmed motorists against Maidstone motorway services - rated by consumer group Which? as among the worst roadside pit-stops in the land.

The Roadchef rest area at junction 8 of the M20 comes in the bottom 10 of almost 70 service stations rated by Which? members.

Tripadvisor reviews of the facilities at the services, which is often used by travellers heading to the Channel ports, paint a bleak picture of the experience awaiting hungry drivers or those in search of a caffeine hit.

Diners at the branch of McDonald's - often a byword for consistent fast food worldwide - rate it as just a 2.5 out of five, with one irate customer criticising staff who "potter about uninterested" and leave some burger fans waiting anything up to half an hour for their grub.

The picture appears little better for those looking to grab a hot drink, with Costa Coffee also copping a 2.5 average rating from users of Tripadvisor.

However it is not all bad, with guests of the on-site Days Inn hotel giving it a 3.5 from five, with a majority of customers branding it excellent or very good.

"You often only need to drive on a few miles to find a better service station..."

A spokesman for Which? said: "Based on the experiences of thousands of Which? members, we've rated nearly 70 service stations in a range of categories, including the range and quality of shops and food outlets, prices, convenience, cleanliness and ease of maintaining social distancing.

"As our survey reveals, you risk running into dirty facilities, bad food and poor social distancing. And possibly all for nothing, as you often only need to drive on a few miles to find a better service station."

Last year the roadwork-riddled M20 was rated England’s worst motorway for the second year in a row.

A Transport Focus poll of more than 8,000 drivers indicated that the link between London and Dover is the least popular major road in the country.

A Roadchef spokesman said: “We were extremely disappointed to read comments made in relation to our Maidstone services in the recent Which? report and on Tripadvisor.

While we always appreciate - and take on board - feedback relating to the services we provide, we believe the Which? survey, which was conducted in November and December 2020, was undertaken at a particularly challenging time for the industry and is not a fair reflection of our pre-Covid offering.

"Our focus during this period has been to provide a safe, Covid-secure place for essential road users to take a break, and we are pleased that we have been able to do this at Maidstone since the start of the first lockdown last March.

"We are also very proud to feature in the annual Transport Focus Motorway Services User Survey - a much larger study of motorists than the Which? report - that consistently rates us very well and highlights that our customers are satisfied with our services areas."

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