Every year the Loo of the Year Awards judge public toilets across the country.
Motorway service areas have played a major role in this, though different operators show different levels of interest each year.
There are also overall awards for the best motorway service area in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the best roadside facility. The best roadside facility in Scotland is almost always The Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum.
Awards History
In 1992 Fleet was chosen as having the best public toilets overall.
More detailed awards for this period aren't available.
2005
The main entrant in 2005 was Moto. Almost all of the entrants received five star awards.
| Service Area | Operator | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Cherwell Valley | Moto | 5 |
| Birchanger Green | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Burton-in-Kendal | Moto | 5 |
| Charnock Richard | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Corley (forecourt) | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Derby South | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Donington Park | Moto | 5 |
| Exeter | Moto | 5 |
| Ferrybridge | Moto | 5 |
| Fleet | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Frankley | Moto | 5 |
| Gordano | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Grantham North | Moto | 5 |
| Heston | Moto | 5 |
| Hilton Park | Moto | 5 |
| Hopwood Park | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Knutsford | Moto | 5 |
| Leicester Forest East | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Leigh Delamere | Moto | 5 |
| Oxford | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Pease Pottage | Moto | 5 |
| Scotch Corner | Moto | 5 |
| South Mimms | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Southwaite | Moto | 5 |
| Tamworth | Moto | 5 |
| Thurrock | Moto | 5 |
| Toddington | Moto | 5 |
| Trowell | Moto | 5 |
| Washington | Moto | 5 |
| Woodall southbound | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Woolley Edge | Moto | 5 |
| Corley (main building) | Welcome Break | 4 |
Cherwell Valley, Kinross and Swansea West came top in their respective nations.
Moto was chosen as the National UK Loo Of The Year award winner, placing them in the Hall of Fame. Moto and Welcome Break both won Standards of Excellence awards, and were members of the 100+ points club and the 50% club.
2006
A number of Moto and Welcome Break service areas took part in 2006.
Frankley, Stirling and Swansea West came top in their respective nations. Hartshead Moor westbound was praised for having the best baby change facilities in the UK.
Moto also won a Standards of Excellence award, came top in the Corporate Provider category and, in an unrelated competition, won the Tommy's Parent Friendly Loo Award. Welcome Break also won a Standards of Excellence award.
2007
Welcome Break were the main entrant in 2007.
Hartshead Moor was again praised for having the best baby changing facilities in the UK; it was described as "spotlessly clean".
South Mimms came top in the English motorway service areas category. There were no suitable entrants from the other two nations.
2008
Welcome Break were again the main entrant in 2008. It was mostly five star awards all round.
| Service Area | Operator | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Abington | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Cardiff Gate | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Burtonwood | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Charnock Richard southbound | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Corley westbound | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Derby South westbound | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Gordano | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Gretna Green | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Hartshead Moor | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Hopwood Park | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Keele | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Lancaster (Forton) | Moto | 5 |
| Leicester Forest East | Welcome Break | 5 |
| London Gateway | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Michael Wood | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Sedgemoor northbound | Welcome Break | 5 |
| South Mimms | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Telford | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Warwick | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Woodall | Welcome Break | 5 |
| Fleet | Welcome Break | 4 |
Oxford, Abington and Cardiff Gate came top in their respective nations. Sedgemoor northbound was praised for its "age-friendly" facilities.
The J.38 Truckstop came top in the English roadside facilities category and Welcome Break won a Standards of Excellence award.
2009
Tebay won a five star award and came top in the English motorway service area category. No other awards were recorded.
2010
Interest was still low for the 2010 awards.
| Service Area | Operator | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Baldock | Extra | 5 |
| Folkestone | Stop 24 | 5 |
| Lancaster (Forton) | Moto | 5 |
| Tebay southbound | Westmorland | 5 |
2011
Tebay northbound won a five star award in 2011. Kettering westbound came top in the English roadside facilities category.
2012
The awarding system changed from stars to metals in 2012.
| Service Area | Operator | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Cherwell Valley | Moto | platinum |
| Baldock | Extra | platinum |
| Peterborough | Extra | platinum |
| Wetherby | Moto | platinum |
| Beaconsfield | Extra | gold |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Extra | gold |
| Cullompton | Extra | gold |
Cherwell Valley came top in the English motorway service areas category.
2013
The results were very similar for 2013.
| Service Area | Operator | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | Extra | platinum |
| Baldock | Extra | platinum |
| Cherwell Valley | Moto | platinum |
| Cullompton | Extra | platinum |
| Wetherby | Moto | platinum |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Extra | gold |
| Peterborough | Extra | gold |
Cambridge came top in the English roadside facilities category.
2014
Extra were again the main entrant in 2014.
| Service Area | Operator | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Beaconsfield | Extra | platinum |
| Baldock | Extra | platinum |
| Cherwell Valley | Moto | platinum |
| Cobham | Extra | platinum |
| Cullompton | Extra | platinum |
| Peterborough | Extra | platinum |
| Wetherby | Moto | platinum |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Extra | gold |
Beaconsfield came top in the English motorway service areas category.
2015
Cherwell Valley came top in the English motorway service areas category.
2019
After a few years with no interest at all, in 2019 Extra won an award for all their service areas.
2020
Extra once again came top in the overall transport category. They were also placed in the Champions League category, for consistently high standards. Their Leeds Skelton Lake came top in the 'English motorway service areas' category.
2021
Oxford, Sarn Park and Annandale Water won best motorway service area for their respective nations. No individual operator awards were received.
2022
Operators were keen to take part in 2022.
| Service Area | Operator | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Rugby | Moto | platinum |
| Annandale Water | Roadchef | platinum |
| Sarn Park | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Birchanger Green | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Corley | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Keele southbound | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Leicester Forest East southbound | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Norton Canes | Roadchef | platinum |
| Oxford | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Strensham northbound | Roadchef | platinum |
| Tibshelf | Roadchef | platinum |
| Warwick | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Woodall southbound | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Rothwell Truckstop | Welcome Break | gold |
| Hopwood Park | Welcome Break | gold |
| Northampton | Roadchef | gold |
| Rownhams | Roadchef | gold |
Rugby and Annandale Water came top in the motorway service areas category. Rothwell truckstop came top in the English roadside service area category, while "Sarn services" came top in the Welsh car parks category.
2023
There were a variety of entrants in 2023, and a big accolade, as Killington Lake came top in the entire 'public toilets' category.
| Service Area | Operator | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Killington Lake | Roadchef | unknown |
| South Mimms | Welcome Break | unknown |
| Rugby | Moto | platinum plus |
| Donington | Moto | platinum plus |
| Warwick | Welcome Break | platinum |
| Sarn Park | Welcome Break | unknown |
South Mimms came top in the English motorway service areas category (Killington Lake, confusingly, was classed as a "roadside facility"); Sarn Park came top in the Welsh motorway service areas category. Extra won a Standards of Excellence Award.