Moto removing LPG pumps from serivces

[Brian_H]

Tried to fill at both Medway and Heston service areas recently to find both of them out of service, Filled yesterday at Toddington Northbound and noticed the price has disappeared from the southbound side, so decided to query that with Moto. Recevied the following response with the list of remaining stations

Autogas is still commissioned at the following Moto locations:
Toddington North (M1)
Pease Pottage (M23)
Chieveley (A34/M4)
Leigh Delamare East and West (M4)
Exeter (M5)
Lymm (M6/M56)
Wetherby (A1M)

I think as far as I can tell this list is exhaustive, so would suggest the following ones are now out of service (waiting for confirmation if its staying that way, but the Impression I got suggested so) - There may be more to add to this list. Not included those that have been out for some time - Stafford, Reading, Winchester etc.

Medway (M2)
Heston (M4)
Toddington southbound (M1)
Knutsford (M6)
Donnington park (M1)
Lancaster South (M6) (Northbound had been broken for years anyway)
Doncaster (M18/M180)

[brockwell09]

The guy in Shell Croydon told me that they were not planning to continue selling lpg. As and when station refurbishment takes place due to falling demand and tighter regulations they intend to phase it out.
My local BP garage in Forest hill has just removed the pump , again I was told they are stopping selling it. Is this happening in other parts of the country ?
Best Guy

[Brian_H]

Have a read of viewtopic.php?f=31&t=14876

The short version of that, is all the Shell operated forecourts that were supplied by Calor under the Autogas partnership, have gone. Croydon was one of those.

All the affected ones of those have already closed as of October last year, and pumps have been removed. Where Shell branded/Franchised (but not operated) filling stations exist, they at this point have been largely unaffected and able to offer lpg (typically from Flogas rather than Calor).

Moto have confirmed as below today

"Yes. Medway Dover, Medway London, Toddington South and Heston West have all been decommissioned. Heston East still has Autogas available but will be decommissioned in the Spring."

https://www.filllpg.co.uk and https://autogas.app/ and https://www.mylpg.eu/ list for the most part the remaining stations.

[Brian_H]

Had confirmation today that the only Moto services offering LPG now are these (plus Heston Eastbound for a short while until its decomissioned).

Toddington North (M1)
Pease Pottage (M23)
Chieveley (A34/M4)
Leigh Delamare East and West (M4)
Exeter (M5)
Lymm (M6/M56)
Wetherby (A1M)

Fillpg has been updated with those that are definitely gone.

[Brian_H]

Donnington Park definitely gone - pump has been removed now.

[Brian_H]

Pease Pottage on the M23 has now also been removed after someone managed to destroy the pump, been there today to find the previously wrecked pump replaced by a metal plate on the island so clearly not going to get fixed.

[Brian_H]

I've emailed Moto and received a response that confirms they have now pulled LPG from their remaining forecourts, namely Leigh Delemere, Chievely, Weatherby, Exeter, Lymm and Toddington North.

[Avensist]

That's a shame. It seems that when things get to the stage of renewing or damage caused by someone, they don't seem to want to invest any more and pull the plug. The government and that useless trading body is not doing enough...

[Avensist]

It seems that Welcome Break London Gateway M1 J3, Barnet is back in action after a long wait for the repairs of the leaking tank.

[Brian_H]

Yes I did wonder about that one, Swang by there on my way in yesterday to find it working again finally. Just as well as there is very little other provision round there, particually when Sainsburys removes Watford if it hasn't done so already, the rest are MFG (or whats still left of them).

[Avensist]

Yeah I saw your name on filllpg so assumed it was you. At least another station still invests on the upkeep of the facility which is commendable. Though Watford is rumoured to be removed soon, they are still there going strong. Hope they continue and also put the Colney one back in action though it's a very distant hope!

[Gilbertd]

After about 2 years of it being out of service, the Kate's Cabin BP station (but owned by Applegreen) on the northbound A1 about a mile further on from the Peterborough services, has finally got their pump working again. Not cheap at 94.9ppl but as it is the first LPG station on the Northbound A1 after London (and only 3 miles from my house and open 24 hours), it's most welcome.

[Avensist]

Another good news there! The demand is there but management morons at MFG and Calor failed to capture that market by stinging customers with extortionate prices driving them away to the competitors. A bit similar to big supermarkets where customers are moving away to Aldi and Lidl.

[Brian_H]

Has Applegreen Wyboston on the southbound side been fixed now? I didn't think Kates Kabin was likely to come back as it had been out so long, though maybe losing the competition at the Peterborough services and the next station on route being MFG (Wittering) so likely to be gone soon changed their minds?

[Brian_H]

Yeah I saw your name on filllpg so assumed it was you. At least another station still invests on the upkeep of the facility which is commendable. Though Watford is rumoured to be removed soon, they are still there going strong. Hope they continue and also put the Colney one back in action though it's a very distant hope!

I'm not the only Brian on there, but that was me! There is at least 1 more as he was updating stations in Scotland when I was definitely not up that way.

[Avensist]

I see, I thought you were a high mileage driver! When I was young, I used to drive from Norwich to Scourie (highlands) in a single day.

[Gilbertd]

I didn't think Kates Kabin was likely to come back as it had been out so long, though maybe losing the competition at the Peterborough services and the next station on route being MFG (Wittering) so likely to be gone soon changed their minds?

I pointed out to Applegreen that the Peterborough services was withdrawing LPG before it even happened. I also spoke to the manager there who was pushing the owners to do something about it. She said that they had lost out on an enormous amount of trade when the motorhome show was on at the nearby showground with people coming in to try to fill up (as the signage on the A1 clkearly shows it as having LPG). She had been told that there was an underground pump that had failed and she had been told it was going to be expensive to replace. I did suggest that maybe they could ask the Peterborough services if they could have theirs.......

[Brian_H]

I see, I thought you were a high mileage driver! When I was young, I used to drive from Norwich to Scourie (highlands) in a single day.

I do a fair amount of miles for work (literally end up all over the place - Scotland, Eire, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Isle of Man all been visited in the past). More often its the South East/Midlands/South West/East Anglia areas than elsewhere though.

Have done MK>Plymouth>Sittingbourne>Dundee in the space of 3 1/2 days once, not sure I'd want to try that again now! Can also remember driving around Scotland from Edinburugh, to Inverness via Fort William, and then back to Glasgow having set out from MK and returned there at the end of it over the space of a week. Slow going on some of that trip for sure.

I pointed out to Applegreen that the Peterborough services was withdrawing LPG before it even happened. I also spoke to the manager there who was pushing the owners to do something about it. She said that they had lost out on an enormous amount of trade when the motorhome show was on at the nearby showground with people coming in to try to fill up (as the signage on the A1 clkearly shows it as having LPG). She had been told that there was an underground pump that had failed and she had been told it was going to be expensive to replace. I did suggest that maybe they could ask the Peterborough services if they could have theirs.......

Simple solution, but seems its too simple sometimes for them. Fixing broken pumps/tank issues seems to take forever, I remember the Shell station here being out for around 3 months when they were replacing all 3 tanks recently. Just as well they did it then, as thats the only one left here now.

[Avensist]

At least they mended. Unlike some other places such as Colney where they've given up when things needed fixing. It is regrettable that people at the top are often not fit for purpose.