Woolley Edge Services (M1 J38–J39)
Woolley Edge sits on the M1 between Junction 38 and Junction 39 near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire. It is run by Moto and opened in 1972.
There is no footbridge, and there is a reason for that
Some sources suggest the two sides are connected on foot. They are not. The bridge nearby is Bramley Lane, a public road, not a services link, and a proper footbridge was never built because of unstable coal seams and a tunnel ventilation shaft beneath the site. Treat the northbound and southbound sides as two separate service areas, because in practice that is what they are. A railway line runs underneath the whole site.
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Latest accident or incident on the M1
The most recent accident or incident on the M1 that we are aware of.
Latest active roadworks on the M1
Roadworks live on the M1 right now.
M1 northbound Jct 10 to Jct 11 hard shoulder closure (MP 49/4 to 49/6)
05:19 (5:19am)15 Oct 2026reported 3 min ago
- Location
- M1 northbound within J10
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Hard shoulder closed
- Reason
- Construction work
- Schedule
- 02:35 (2:35am) Thu 23 July 2026 → 05:00 (5am) Sat 24 Oct 2026
+ 5 more active roadworks - search all M1 traffic news →
Latest planned roadworks on the M1
The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M1.
M1 northbound Approach to Jct 6 lane 3 and 2 closure
05:19 (5:19am)15 Oct 2026reported 3 min ago
- Location
- M1 northbound between J5 and J6
- Direction
- Northbound
- Lanes closed
- Lane closures
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 22:00 (10pm) Thu 15 Oct 2026 → 05:00 (5am) Fri 16 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 29 more planned roadworks - search all M1 traffic news →
Road closed — on the overhead signs now
National Highways’ overhead signs are showing a road closure, as at 05:22 (5:22am) Thu 15 Oct 2026.
M1 J25-J26 CLOSED
Time now: Thursday, 15 October 2026, 05:22 (5:22am)04:33 (4:33am)15 Oct 2026set 48 min ago✓ Checked by us 05:22 (5:22am)
M1 J25-J26
CLOSEDOverhead Message
WhereM42 northbound, at J9 · on 1 signAlso onAlso showing on M42 signsSinceSet 04:33 (4:33am) Thu 15 Oct 2026We check these overhead signs at least every five minutes, but we can't guarantee a sign is still current if an incident or issue has been cleared and the sign has not been updated yet. Signs and news can each carry something the other does not - check both before you travel.
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Updated 05:22 (5:22am) Thu 15 Oct 2026
Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.
What is at Woolley Edge Services
- Food and drink, both sides: Burger King, Costa and Costa Express, Greggs, f’real milkshakes
- Northbound also: a Greggs Drive Thru
- Southbound also: a KFC Drive Thru and M&S Food
- Shops: WHSmith on both sides
- Fuel and charging: a 24-hour BP forecourt with AdBlue and Keyfuels for HGVs; GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, fifteen bays northbound and fourteen southbound, up to 200kW
- Hotel: Travelodge on both sides
- Lorries: a lorry park on each side, SNAP accepted
Two hours free, then £15 for up to 24 hours for a car and £30 for an HGV, or £33 with a £10 food voucher.
Service area details are compiled from the operators’ own published information and were last checked on 14 September 2026. Facilities change — if something here is out of date, please tell us and we will correct it.
The traffic around Woolley Edge Services
The services sit on the stretch between Junction 38 and Junction 39, which the Department for Transport counts at 97,475 vehicles a day — the 35th busiest of the 42 measured stretches of M1 mainline. Of those, 10,340 are lorries, 10.6% of the traffic. Nobody bid to build this site in 1966. The Ministry had to go back out with easier terms — temporary buildings permitted for the first ten years, and a minimum spend of £90,000 a side — before Taverna took both contracts. The sweeping roofs that run down almost to ground level were designed to hide the buildings from the motorway, and set the pattern for later rural service areas.
Traffic figures are Department for Transport road traffic statistics, annual average daily flow for 2025, both directions combined.