Demolition begins on drug house

The first destructive signs of demolition on a Tamatea house once used as a drug manufacturing lab are expected to take place later today or tomorrow morning after the interior had been "cleansed".

Demolition workers from Goodwin Julian Construction are firstly removing ceiling sections, insulation and wall linings, wrapping each section in plastic before taking them from the house.

Workers had created holes in sections of the house and installed fans and filters to clean the air before it left the house.

A barrier fence had been erected around the Robinson Crescent property complete with sign warning of "chemicals, nails and falling objects".

Small sections of roofing iron had been removed during the initial scene examinations when the lab was uncovered last year.

After the week-long demolition is completed soil samples will be taken.

Housing New Zealand, which owns the building, took the step of complete house removal, rather than just replace internal linings, to ensure there was no danger to future tenants on the site.