Pont Abraham Services
The main building from the upper car park.
Pont Abraham Services is located in Swansea
Pont Abraham Services
Pont Abraham Services
Location in southwest Wales
Information
CountyCarmarthenshire
RoadM4
Coordinates:51°44′51″N 4°3′57″W / 51.74750°N 4.06583°W / 51.74750; -4.06583
OperatorRoadChef
WebsiteRoadChef

Pont Abraham Services is a Motorway service area in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near Pontarddulais at the western end of the M4 motorway at junction 49, where the motorway meets the A48 and A483 on a roundabout.[1] It has come under regular criticism for high fuel costs.

Location

The services are at a roundabout at the end of the M4, where the A48 (and later the A40) takes over the main traffic route to West Wales. It can be accessed from any direction the vehicles are travelling.[2]

History

The location of the services was originally a bridge over the River Gwili on what later became the A48, and was known as Gwili Bridge.[3]

The services were first proposed in 1975, while the M4 bypass of Pontarddulais was under construction.[4] They were opened by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, John Stradling Thomas on 17 June 1983.[5] The following year, Stradling Thomas was also asked if there would be further picnic areas provided on the M4, as there were at Pont Abraham, but replied that it was a matter for the private sector.[6]

Fuel

The services have been regularly criticised on review websites such as TripAdvisor. One such review said the facilities were "about as much fun as telling the kids the dog's been put to sleep".[1] A common complaint is high fuel prices. This may be because motorists think it is the last place they could easily find to refuel a vehicle, though there are other nearby petrol stations, such as one on the A48 at Cross Hands four miles away.[1]

In 2005, the price of diesel reached 99p per litre, which invited comparisons with sunflower oil generated biodiesel which a local driver said could cost half the price.[7] In 2022, the services were one of the first in the country to reach £2 per litre, when it was charging 202.9p for unleaded petrol.[8] It has also being criticised for its high prices to recharge electric vehicles.[9]

In 2023, a poll found that Pont Abraham was the second worst service area in the UK, just above Bothwell services.[10][11]

Employee scandal

The services had a long-running share ownership scheme, provided by RoadChef. In 2014, former employees at the services won a court case after shares they owned in a company scheme were transferred. However, a full payout was never made.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What it's really like at Pont Abraham services, which some have described as 'appalling'". Wales Online. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "M4 in Wales". roads.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. ↑ Ordnance Survey Six Inch (Map). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "M4, Wales". Hansard. 24 April 1975. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "M4 (Parking)". Hansard. 27 June 1983. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "M4 (Parking and Picnic Areas)". Hansard. 25 June 1984. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Growing Confusion". The Guardian. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Shock as petrol prices hit £2 / litre at Pont Abraham Services". South Wales Argus. 8 June 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "Welsh M4 services criticised for high fuel prices now ranks second worst in UK for electric vehicle drivers". Wales Online. 14 July 2023. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Pont Abraham comes in at number 2 'pop pickers' in top 10 of worst UK service stations". Cambrian News. 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Pont Abraham M4 Service Station named one of UK's worst". South Wales Guardian. 13 July 2023. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Former staff at Pont Abraham Roadchef suffer set back over shares pay-out". South Wales Guardian. 9 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
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