USUALLY, millions of Brits would be hitting the roads this Christmas to pull a cracker and celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.
This year, the roads will be much quieter than usual, with millions of Brits in Tier 4 ordered to “stay at home” this Christmas by the Prime Minister.
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And Matt Hancock announced this week that even more of England will be plunged into Tier 4 from Boxing Day.
But if you need to travel over Christmas, it is a good idea to get clued up on where you can get fuel.
Are motorway service stations open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day?
All motorway service stations must remain open for fuel, parking and toilets 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
It is part of their licence to never close to give drivers a break on their journeys.
You’ll be able to refuel on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but opening times for some facilities inside the main services buildings might vary so it’s best to check ahead.
Ways to cut down on your fuel costs
HERE are some tips on how you can slash the cost of fuel.
- Make your car more fuel-efficient. You can do this by keeping your tyres inflated, taking the roof rack off, emptying your car of clutter and turning off your air con when driving at lower speeds.
- Find the cheapest fuel prices. PetrolPrices.com and Confused.com allows you to search prices of UK petrol stations. All you need to do is enter in your postcode and tell it how far you want to travel (up to 20 miles).
- Drive more efficiently. Some ways to do this, include:
- Accelerate gradually without over-revving
- Always drive on the highest possible gear
- If you can, allow your car to slow down naturally as your brake is a money burner
- Re-starting your car is expensive, if you can keep moving
Are petrol stations not on motorways open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day?
The same rules don’t apply to A-road service and petrol stations, so they do not have to open on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
Some large petrol stations may choose to open anyway, but other stations might not.
Some supermarket chains have said they will close their petrol stations, including Tesco.
It’s best to check ahead with petrol stations on your route to see if they’ll be open over the festive period.
For example, you can check here to see which Asda pumps are near you.
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Companies will often have station locators that you can use to find out opening and closing times. Esso have one, for example, as well as Shell.
If you’re wondering if you can still see your family even if you’re in Tier 4, here’s the list of exemptions that mean you can still see loved ones.
And here’s when all the main supermarkets will open over the Christmas and New Year break.
First look at The Queen’s Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4
