After months of delayed journeys and raised blood pressure for motorists, the 'Headington Hamburger' is fully open.

As the last cone was removed yesterday from the much-criticised seven-and-a-half-month project at the notorious A40 roundabout, we were promised a brave new world of motoring into and out of the east of Oxford from today.

The work was designed to create a road through the middle of the roundabout, giving it a hamburger-like appaearance from above, and thus ease the daily delays which happened there.

Unfortunately, the work itself only made the traffic worse.

But the county council, although apologetic, insisted that there could be no gain without pain and that the work would be worth it in the end.

We sincerely hope so, but that remains to be seen.

The proof of the pudding - or in this case the hamburger - is, after all, in the eating.