Second quarter figures to 16 March from motorway service area operator RoadChef show a 9.2 per cent rise in turnover to £54.7m compared with the same period last year and EBITDA up 19.8 per cent to £2.9m.

However, operating profit was down from £1,254,000 to £945,000, a figure reflecting a 19.1 per cent increase in administrative expenses.

Half of this amount was due to increases in depreciation, the result of a £26m capital investment programme last year.

This saw the enhancement of sites including those at Strensham and Sedgemoor on the M5 and Watford Gap and Northampton on the M1 and an increase in the number of offers available, the completion of the Costa Coffee rollout across the portfolio being one example.

The other 50 per cent of the increased costs covered site wages and salaries, additional operating expenses at the redeveloped sites, a general increase in business rates and a substantial increase in insurance premiums.

Sales from the 11 lodges operated by RoadChef under the Travel Inn brand were 1.3 per cent down on the previous year at £0.75m. Due to a refurbishment programme at seven of them and the resulting drop in available rooms, average occupancies were down 2 per cent at 51 per cent.

Elsewhere - year on year - fuel sales were up 10.4 per cent, forecourt sales up 8.5 per cent, catering sales up 10.1 per cent and retail sales at the company's ReStore brand up 5.4 per cent.

RoadChef chief executive, John Greenwood said: The second quarter has continued to show the levels of growth we previously reported and the group remains confident that the improvements in EBITDA will continue.

RoachChef Motorways Holdings is the main subsidiary of motorway service area (MSA) operator RoadChef Ltd and operates 17 out of the 20 RoadChef MSAs. Details: www.roadchef.com