Updated 6.45pm with police details.

A British-era red phone box was demolished by a reversing delivery truck in Merchants Street, Valletta on Tuesday but the culture minister said it will be rebuilt and restored.

A police spokesman told Times of Malta that the phone box was hit accidentally at 8.40am. The driver stayed on site while the police started their investigations.

A photo of the phone booth in pieces circulated on Facebook and Nationalist MP Darren Carabott raised the matter in parliament, asking Culture Minister Owen Bonnici what had happened. 

The minister said that as soon as the wrecked phone box was reported, the pieces were picked up by the Works Department and the structure will be put together again and restored under the supervision of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.

The police had been called in to establish what had happened, the minister said. 

He explained that some of these red phone boxes are owned by the government and the rest by GO plc, the communications company. 

The red phone boxes were given grade 2 protection in 2001 and the government had announced plans in 2018 to restore the 11 examples found in Valletta, mostly in Republic Street and Merchants Street.

The phone boxes were designed by Sir Gilbert Scott to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V in 1935.  

There are two types of 'red' phone boxes. 

The Mark 1, which is a pre WW2 design, were manufactured between 1936 and 1952. They are identified by the Imperial Tudor State Crown on the roof section. When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne, she chose a new rendition of the crown and therefore the MK2 was introduced with the new crown rendition. The Mk 2 was in production from 1952 up to 1968.

The kiosk frame was constructed from a cast with glass panes and solid teak door frame with a cast iron grid insert.

The use of red for telephone booths was intended to help users locate them with ease.