THE man behind the magic roundabout has died at the age of 92.

Frank Blackmore is credited with having invented the mini-roundabout, and Swindon's flagship junction is the pinnacle of his art.

Coun Mike Bawden (Con, Old Town and Lawn) was first elected to the council in 1967, at the time the magic roundabout was being considered.

He said: "The council worked a number of road transport initiatives and this idea of a multi mini-roundabout was one of them.

"Frank Blackmore was one of the engineers working on the project that eventually became known as the magic roundabout, although it was originally called County Islands.

"It was really unique and has remained so because the idea was not run out across the country.

"Frank Blackmore played a major role in the development of the island."

The magic roundabout was first opened to wary drivers in 1972 and has since become a national symbol of Swindon.

It has also spawned a merchandising world of its own - with t-shirts, postcards, fridge magnets and key rings emblazoned with the iconic traffic island now available.

It even has a place in literature, having caught the imagination of author Jasper Fforde, in his Thursday Next novels.

This year it will receive pride of place as the December pin up in the Best of British Roundabouts calendar.

But the infamous swirl of mini-roundabouts regularly features in top tens of scariest road junctions and has tested the confidence of many learner drivers.

It's architect, Frank Blackmore, was born in Algeria in 1916 to British parents. He moved to Britain in 1936 to work in the engineer's department at Colchester Borough Council.

He rose through the ranks as a government traffic engineer, and became famous for his dedication to his work.

Even family holidays were not exempt from his exhaustive research, when he would regularly stop at junctions to take photographs while his family patiently waited in the car.

One of his most effective measures was to ensure that vehicles approaching the junction gave way at a stop line.

The rule was eventually written in to Department for Transport guidance in 1966.

But it is Swindon's magic roundabout, and its bewildering, chaotic charm, that will be his most prominent legacy.