New £40m Much Hadham bypass to shorten journey times on A120

• Watch Charlie Frost's report from the A120 Much Hadham bypass

A new £40 million bypass aiming to reduce journey times to Stansted Airport and the M11 for those travelling in West Hertfordshire has opened.

Villagers have long been asking for the two-and-a-half mile road on the A120 that now goes around Little Hadham.

Ruth Banks, who's lived in the village for 40 years, said: "We've waited a very, very long time for this road and it's wonderful. The traffic jams have just been horrendous at any time of the day, not just in the rush hour."

Dr Gareth Oakland said: "It's brilliant that we can cycle safely because there isn't a lot of good safe cycling provision around here, but to have the cars off that road so that we can ride on it is fantastic."

Cllr Richard Roberts, Leader, Hertfordshire County Council, said: "The flooding through the village was horrendous and this has alleviated that.

"Some really technical work has gone into making sure that the flooding is dealt with, but a bypass as well so it's going to help our local economy."