M6 motorway, eastbound, approaching Harborough Magna service station site

Image: © Christopher Hilton Taken: 7 Jun 2021

When Britain's first motorways were built, sites for service stations were designated every 12 miles. Often only alternate sites were developed first, with the others to be filled in when traffic loads required this: in some cases (for example, Tibshelf on the M1) this did take place later but in others the sites were never developed and, due to changes in thinking about service station design, are unlikely to be. In these instances usually all that indicates the original plans are the stubs of slip roads, connected to nothing. Here, beyond the lorry, can be seen the eastbound entrance sliproad to Harborough Magna service station site, which would have filled the gap between Watford Gap on the M1 and Corley on the M6; above the warning chevrons is a sign marking the distance to the recently-opened Rugby services at junction 1 which now does fill that gap (and in the now-preferred fashion, opening off a junction and accessible to non-motorway traffic).

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