Unmanned rubbish truck smashes into Auckland building

Dr Chris Laurenson outside his premises with the damage caused by a wheelie bin removal truck. Photo / Jason Oxenham

An unmanned rubbish truck has smashed through the front of a heritage building in Auckland this morning.

The truck rolled into a historic building on Normanby Rd in Mt Eden at 5am.

The truck is prepared to be towed away. Photo / Jason Oxenham

There was no driver in the vehicle at the time, police said.

The building has been home to the Normanby Road Vet Clinic for 10 years and owner Chris Laurenson said it was the first time an accident had occurred there.

Major brickwork and glass was smashed when the truck came through the front entrance, he said.

The business would still be opening and customers would just need to use the back door, he said.

Dr Chris Laurenson outside his premises with the damage caused by a wheelie bin removal truck. Photo / Jason Oxenham

"It's major brickwork and doorwork so it could take a while. It's been here for a while, it's one of older buildings in town.

"We don't know yet [when it will be fixed], we're still just sorting it out."

The brick building was originally built as an office for an ammunition manufacturing organisation, Colonial Ammunition Company, in 1916.

It was scheduled on the New Zealand Heritage List in 2014 as a Historic Place Category 1 building.

The truck was still on site and would be towed soon, Inspector Tony Wakelin said.

No one was injured in the incident.

It appeared the handbrake was still on but there was no driver in the vehicle when it rolled into the vet clinic, Mr Wakelin said.

A police commercial vehicle investigation unit would be investigating the incident.