A FILLING station just off the M4 motorway has welcomed its new deputy general manager.

Former hospitality industry food and beverages manager Paul Harris has swapped hotels for trucks to become deputy general manager Chippenham Pit Stop, just of junction 17.

He will be assisting general manager Neal Walford and his team serving over 100 drivers a day from across the UK and Europe.

Mr Harris, a father of two from Malmesbury who grew up in Royal Wootton Bassett, gained a degree in tourism management and entered the hotels industry ten years ago, said: "I was looking for a new hands-on management challenge which involved working with people while at the same time requiring some practical skills, so the Pit Stop position certainly fitted the bill.

"While my previous position as food and beverages manager is also relevant from the pit stop restaurant perspective, there is also another similarity in that while my previous clients had rooms, our trucker customers stay overnight in their vehicles."

Pit Stop managing director David Hatherell, said he was delighted that Paul had joined the team and that his previous experience would be most valuable.