The new services on the M5 northbound between junctions 11a and 12at Brookthorpe in Gloucestershire have opened today.

The £40m development is a partnership between a local charity, the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, and Westmorland Limited, which runs the Tebay service station on the M6 in Cumbria, and is the only family owned company to operate a UK motorway service station.

The Gloucester site will be supplied by Valero under its Texaco banner.

Westmorland managing director Laurence King said: “We are delighted to be working with Valero in Gloucester. Valero have been very professional from the outset of discussions, prompt in their responses, easy to deal with and very importantly competitive. We look forward to a very successful partnership with Valero as we embark on our ambitious expansion plans.”

Valero area sales manager Neil Freeman said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be involved in a brand new development, there are not too many of these opportunities today.  And to add another motorway service area to Valero’s fuel supply is a great thrill.”

Work on the southbound services is now under way and is expected to be completed in June 2015.