Not all asbestos is on ceilings and walls where you can see it. Some of the highest-risk material is hidden out of sight — and one of the clearest examples is thermal pipe insulation, or "lagging". In mid-2025, Innov8 UK Group removed a substantial quantity of asbestos pipe lagging concealed beneath the floors of an occupied home near Clitheroe, Lancashire.
The lagging — more than 50 linear metres of it — ran along heating pipes beneath the floorboards, around the perimeter of ground-floor rooms and first-floor bedrooms and landing. It was in poor condition, and because it contained amosite (brown asbestos) as well as chrysotile, it was a priority for removal. This is exactly the kind of material that can sit undisturbed for decades and then release dangerous fibres the moment floorboards are lifted for building or heating work.
Removing asbestos from a home where people live demands sensitivity as well as technical control. Our teams lifted floorboards to expose the pipe runs, then worked within purpose-built enclosures held under negative pressure. The lagging was removed using controlled wrap-and-cut techniques, surfaces were shadow-vacuumed, and operatives decontaminated through a dedicated unit on every exit.
Personal air monitoring ran throughout, and an independent UKAS analyst carried out the four-stage clearance before the home was handed back and floors reinstated. At every stage, occupant safety drove the plan.
Asbestos thermal insulation is one of the three highest-risk materials, alongside AIB and sprayed coatings, and its removal is always licensed work notifiable to the HSE. If your home was built or re-piped before the 1990s and you are planning heating or floor work, an asbestos survey is a wise first step.
Innov8 UK Group carries out licensed domestic asbestos removal across the North West with the same rigour we bring to industrial and railway projects — because a family home deserves nothing less.
