The company running Ashford International Truckstop, 660 lorry spaces off the M20, faces an HMRC winding-up petition on 21 October, its second this year.
HM Revenue and Customs has asked the High Court to wind up the company that runs Ashford International Truckstop, the lorry park at Waterbrook, Sevington. The petition will be heard on Wednesday 21 October 2026.
It is the second time this year HMRC has petitioned against the same company. Two other companies registered at the same Willesborough address have also faced HMRC petitions since August.
A petition is a creditor’s application to the court. It is not a finding that the company owes the money, and it is not a winding-up order.
What the Gazette notice says
The notice appeared in The London Gazette on 9 October. It records:
- Company: Ashford International Truck Stop Limited, company number 10723778, registered at GSE House, Paper Lane, Willesborough, TN24 0TS
- Petitioner: the Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs, “claiming to be Creditors of the Company”
- Presented: 2 September 2026
- Hearing: 21 October 2026 at 10.30am, at the Royal Courts of Justice, Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, London
- Case number: CR-2026-006789 of 2026
Anyone who wants to support or oppose the petition at the hearing must tell HMRC’s solicitor by 4pm on 20 October. The notice does not say how much HMRC says it is owed.
The second petition this year
HMRC presented an earlier petition against the same company on 26 March 2026, with a hearing set for 13 May (The London Gazette). No winding-up order followed it. The Companies House register still listed the company as active when we checked on 13 October.
A petition can be withdrawn or dismissed if the debt is paid. The register does not say how the May case ended.
Two more companies at the same address
The truck stop company shares its registered office, GSE House on Paper Lane, with other companies in the GSE group. HMRC has petitioned against two of them since August:
- GSE Commercial Estates (Parcel A) Limited, a property letting company, petition presented 3 August, hearing set for 23 September (The London Gazette)
- GSE Cheriton Parc Limited, registered as a hotel company, petition presented 17 August, hearing set for 7 October (The London Gazette)
Companies House still lists GSE Commercial Estates (Parcel A) as active. The register for GSE Cheriton Parc shows it as active with a proposal to strike it off. Its accounts were due by 22 March 2026 and are marked overdue. No winding-up order for either company had been published in the Gazette by 13 October.
A profitable business, on its last accounts
The company’s most recent accounts cover 2024. They were signed on 7 July 2026 and filed at Companies House the next day. They describe a business that was growing:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £9,223,522 | £8,071,678 |
| Profit after tax | £1,226,960 | £768,952 |
| Average staff, including directors | 64 | 65 |
| Net assets | £5,362,330 | £4,145,370 |
The directors’ report says the site has 660 HGV spaces and calls it “the largest of its kind in Europe”. It says driver numbers rose by 5.75% on 2023, and that demand holds up because of “the scarcity of parking spaces in the county”.
The same accounts show how much money moves between the truck stop and its sister companies. At the end of 2024:
- companies “under common control” owed the truck stop £9,287,907, up from £7,432,096 a year earlier
- the truck stop owed companies under common control £7,821,941, up from £1,543,035
- it had £125,692 in the bank
- it owed £766,456 in corporation tax and £426,329 in other taxes and social security
The accounts say all those group balances are interest free and repayable on demand. On whether the business can carry on, the directors wrote that the company “provides support to related companies”. They said repayment of those debts “relies on commercial contracts which are currently under negotiation”. They also said there were no material uncertainties over its ability to keep trading.
Open since 1994, beside the Channel Tunnel route
The truck stop’s own history page says it was purpose-built in 1993 and opened on 2 May 1994, four days before the Channel Tunnel. GSE Waterbrook Ltd bought it in 2004. The current operating company was incorporated in April 2017. Its site has a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, gym, shop, rest pods and laundry for drivers, and sits at Unit 14, Arrowhead Road, TN24 0FL.
The company has published nothing about the petition on its website. On 13 October the site was still taking bookings.
What it means for you
- Drivers and hauliers with bookings: the truck stop was still taking bookings on 13 October. If you have one beyond 21 October, check with its gatehouse after the hearing.
- Staff and suppliers: anyone who wants to support or oppose the petition at the hearing must give notice to HMRC’s solicitor by 4pm on 20 October. The contact details are in the Gazette notice.
- Possible outcomes on 21 October: the court can make a winding-up order, dismiss the petition (for example if it is paid), or adjourn it to a later date. We will report the result once it is on the public record.
Ashford International Truck Stop Limited can reply to this report. Corrections and comments go to hello@ashfordtimes.co.uk; our corrections policy explains how we handle them.
More Ashford business news is on our news page, and firms trading at Waterbrook are in our local business directory.
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