TRUCKERS who stop at a transport cafe near Chippenham are being encouraged to keep fit.

The family who run The Pit Stop near junction 17 of the M4 are opening an outside exercise area and plan to add yoga and tai chi classes if there is a demand.

Managing director David Hatherell said the trouble was that with long unhealthy hours behind the wheel, high levels of stress involved in reaching destinations on time plus nights spent away from home, nobody wanted to be an HGV driver any more.

"Now we are doing all we can to ease the pressure on drivers by making the Pit Stop a real home from home," he said.

"Provision of piping hot showers in a spotless environment followed by a good quality, good value meal in spacious, comfortable and friendly surroundings are our customers top priorities, said David.

"But there has to be more to life on the road than that which is why we are adopting a more holistic approach by introducing the exercise equipment and will arrange yoga and tai chi," he said.

Plans are also in hand to extend the convenience store and there is even a resident barber on site.

The move is a response to the crisis in the transport industry which is facing a 50,000 to 60,00 shortfall in the number of licensed heavy goods vehicle drivers urgently needed to keep Britain's domestic, commercial and industrial economy on the road.

Mr Hatherell's wife Lisa, a former nurse, said a decision to change the name from the Truck Stop to the Chippenham Pit Stop was not by chance.

"The pit crew have to work as an integral team to get that car back out there so likewise every member of our team, be it family owners or staff need to focus and deliver what our customers need," she said.

"Most of us are probably at best indifferent to professional drivers or at worst we discriminate against them as the perpetrators of transport problems and misery on our roads yet most of what we are looking at right now was delivered by one of them," said Lisa.