News
Destroyed Services Will Rise Again
10 October 2003
Temporary facilities are to be brought in to replace the building destroyed in a massive fire at Moto’s Birch service area on the M62 near Manchester yesterday.
The Fresh Express restaurant, toilets, shops and a Little Chef restaurant were reduced to a smouldering pile of charred and twisted wreckage by the blaze. Two men, aged 29 and 30 have been charged with arson.
It is hoped that a temporary restaurant and toilet facilities will be on site in the next few days, once experts have had the opportunity to examine the site. The ruined building will be demolished and replaced by a new one.
The westbound fuel forecourt was expected to reopen later today (Friday.)
The eastbound side of the service was unaffected by the blaze but was closed for several hours because power supplies were knocked out by the fire. It reopened yesterday afternoon with the help of a giant generator.
