Yes, Leigh Delamere. Ahh the smell of dank milldewed shower curtain. At least they’re organic and add to the ‘microbe’ world of truck driving.
About the broken locks at Fleet-yes, its often the case that small things like broken locks go unfixed rendering the whole thing suspect. MSA’s seem to build showers like they would install at home-only to find that they get 20 times the traffic from 15 different nationalities. The only item I know that can stand that amount of attention is a bottle opener, simple design, easy to use and as needed as a shower after a long day in the saddle!
All these MSA showers are crap!! Whats needed is a wet room, no need for curtains, poxy little rooms. just a big communal room tiled top to toe, nowhere for bacteria to breed.
Now…if one is too shy to use such a place, you could allways wear ya speedo’s!!!
Disclaimer: I’m a happily married hetrosexual father of 2. Not an uphill gardener!!
Great post! …well almost. The ‘wet room’ idea is a (very close) reality at a couple of locations (Membury M4 and Fleet M3). I have a sneaking suspicion that a communal wet room for drivers would soon become something quite different with all sorts of goings on going on as it were. I claim that the old BP truckstops had the best showers and in tune with the ‘wet room’ theme, all that was needed was a toga, steam room, bunch of grapes nubile youn… I can just see it now…‘Welcome to Birtley-home of the HGV sunken bath’.
Membury eastbound i had to get someone to clean the floor before i used it and some of the floor tiles were loose. worst is a tie between clackett lane east and MichaelWood.
Notice a trend, most of the decent ones are Welcome Break and the worst are Moto
The last time I went to France most of the services power wash the shower after each driver. there is an attendent and if you want to you can leave a tip. I for one would be pleased to pay for a clean shower after a long day I cant sleep with out having a good wash of the jewels.
My husband made a delivery and was shocked at the toilets that were for the drivers. He has reported it to the HSE and sent photo’s. As he was there a few hours he was glad I was not with him on that trip. Liz
Yes facilities for drivers are in general poor at best. I posted the question because, as has been pointed out several times, MSA’s must provide basic facilities for professional drivers-showers being one one of these facilities. The state of affairs at distribution depots etc are, regardless of any law, really at the discression of the individual location and from my experience range from almost homely to conditions only found in a Bulgarian jail.
The HSE you may think would take a ‘belt and braces’ approach to Health and Safety. In reality they have a tight budget and are loathed to take large companies to court because it costs a fortune. I don’t think therefore that MSA’s will loose and sleep over the HSE. Sad but true, I think that as long as professional drivers answer to ‘oi drive’ etc they will be treated as such but thats another post…
Suprised no-one has mentioned Truckhaven?? Not bad at all if you ask me but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I see something floating past me in that drain channel at the bottom lol
Cheively and Cherwell Valley have to rank up there with the worst. I think most people just think they are extentions to the toilet as the smell is overwhelming.
However, I did have to get the manager to clean out the shower in Warwick the other night as some nice driver had cleaned his muddy boots in the shower and there was a definite smell of something unpleasant in there.
We are charged enough to park up for the night so I don’t see why these places can’t install capsule showers as in Japan. These are fantastic and clean themselves after every use along with the toilet etc.
David H:
Where are the best and worst MSA showers? I think the best are at Fleet (both directions) on the M3 and Heston M4 (eastbound) were the worst (known as the ‘swamp’).
Best is filthy, every shower on every msa in the country is disgusting i would love to take a swab and send it off to a lab to see what filth is in the shower maybe a project for T&D but i bet they dont do it, ijust refuse to have a shower in them.
Hilton Park Nothbound (Moto). When I peered round the corner I found eight coppers in full riot gear. They started banging their nightsticks against their perspex shields shouting ‘Oi, put the towel down and get back in your truck…’
Hilton Park Southbound (Moto). Like some sort of capital punishment cell.
Frankley Southbound (Moto). This shower has been out of order for about two months all because of a missing shower head…
Stafford North Southbound (Roadchef). The photo does not do justice to the smell. A real ponger and full of life! You can make yogart in the shower tray. Plenty of live cultures crawling up the wall.
A rare shot of Sedgemoor Southbound (Roadchef). Sedgemoor being the right word for it. A grim stinky excuse for a shower.
Lets go out on a high note. Bristol Gordino (Welcome Break). The real thing. Fresh, clean first rate shower. So far my favorite although Medway Eastbound is a close second. More to come…but hold on how about a funny?
How many times have you seen this. A row of dainty little hooks snapped off at the neck, but in this case the hooks at the bottom failed too. What were they thinking of??
