Yorkshire truck stops to get share of £16m for improvements

Lorry drivers in Yorkshire have been promised better facilities thanks to a £16m government cash injection into truck stops across England.

Five service stations in North and West Yorkshire have been awarded a combined total of more than £900,000.

The Department for Transport said the scheme would furnish 38 truck stops in England with improved rest areas, welfare facilities and parking.

Roads minister Guy Opperman said HGV drivers needed "modern facilities".

Mr Opperman said the drivers were "the backbone of a successful economy, ensuring food, goods and crucial medical supplies get where they need to be, all over the country".

He said no stone would be left "unturned" when it came to supporting them with joint government and industry funding, which would provide the "safe and spacious facilities they deserve".

Three service stations in West Yorkshire are to receive over £500,000.

It includes £175,000 for Exelby Services in Whitwood, and £291,000 and £36,300 respectively for the Moto services in Woolley Edge and Ferrybridge.

In North Yorkshire, Moto's Wetherby Service is to receive £112,500 government funding, with Exelby Services near Leeming Bar getting £315,000.

A government spokesperson said upgrading facilities for lorry drivers would "help attract more people to the haulage sector, boost working conditions and grow the economy".

They said the upgrades would include new showers and restaurants, as well as "better lighting and secure fencing around rest areas", to help drivers feel safer.

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