A number of Union flags adorning a number of roundabouts ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Malta have been fixed after initially being hoisted upside down.

The roundabout at the Valletta end of Triq Aldo Moro and close to Mriehel are cases in point, according to observers.

"I know it's difficult to tell which way up this particular flag should go, given its design, but this is how to do it: when looking at the front of the flag, with the flagpole on the left, examine the diagonal white stripe that leads from the top left-hand corner to the bottom right-hand corner. In the canton, the top left-hand quarter of the flag, the white band should be thicker on the upper side of the red diagonal cross of St Patrick than on the lower side," said one British national residing in Malta.

A national flag flown upside-down used to be seen as a signal of distress... perhaps not the best way to greet the Queen next week.

By this evening, most of the flags had been fixed.