Motorists who travel along Highway 401 will soon have to find a new place to fill up their tanks and stop for a bite to eat as seven service centres between Cobourg and the Ontario-Quebec border shut down.

The leases on the service centres are running out with oil companies. Although there's hope a single operator will take them over, hundreds of employees are losing their jobs.

While some centres are already closed, others will be halting services soon.

The following locations along Highway 401 between Trenton and the Quebec border are currently closed:

  • Bainsville (westbound former Shell station) near the Quebec/Ontario border
  • Trenton South (eastbound former Petro-Canada station) between Cobourg and Trenton

The following locations along Highway 401 between Trenton and the Quebec border currently offer interim services:

  • Morrisburg (eastbound former Shell station) between Prescott (Highway 416) and Cornwall
  • Trenton North (westbound former Shell station) between Trenton and Cobourg

The following locations along Highway 401 between Trenton and the Quebec border are scheduled to close for remediation (cleanup):

  • Mallorytown North (westbound Esso station) near Kingston will be closing Sept. 30
  • Mallorytown South (eastbound Esso station) near Kingston will be closing Sept. 30
  • Ingleside (westbound Esso station) near Cornwall will be closing Sept. 30

With a report from CTV Ottawa's John Hua