A man who was vandalising the main staircase of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta on Tuesday afternoon was caught in the act and arrested soon afterwards, Heritage Malta said.

The man, employed by a contractor to carry out cleaning duties at the Palace, was caught drawing graffiti on a part of the wall of the round staircase and on balustrades located in the same stairway, Heritage Malta said.

"The Police were called to the scene immediately and an investigation is ongoing. Conservators from Heritage Malta and other professional staff have established that furniture varnish was used in the vandalism."

"Preliminary assessments suggest that no permanent damage has occurred, and restoration efforts are already underway."

Heritage Malta said that in addition to police investigations, it is conducting its own investigation into the matter. The Grand Master's Palace was reopened to the public in January this year following an extensive restoration project.

The photo below shows staff examining the site after the vandalism took place.