FIVE iconic red telephone boxes are having a makeover in Middlesbrough.

The telephone boxes have been a familiar sight on the Dunning Road side of the Town Hall for decades. Now they're being given a new lease of life as part of the latest public art project in the town centre.

Stephen Hurrel's light installation will see the boxes lit up internally in an array of different colours. The interactive piece will feature bars of light which rise and fall within the phone boxes in response to surrounding sound and movement.

First, however, the boxes must be removed and restored - the frames are made of cast iron.

Work started this week to remove the five kiosks from their foundations and prepare them for transportation. They'll then be taken to a workshop where their glazing will be removed and they'll be stripped and repainted.

New glass and signs will be installed, along with light fittings for the new artwork, with the boxes expected to return to their normal spot in early July.

Councillor Mieka Smiles, Middlesbrough Council's Executive member for Culture, said: "There are few more iconic sights on our high streets than the red telephone box, and ones at the Town Hall are part of the fabric of Middlesbrough life."