Among the latest pest control challenges to be overcome by the use of powered access equipment hired from Nationwide was the need to place netting on the parapets of Bolton's historic town hall. Like so many of Britain's historic or ornate inner city buildings, the town hall is plagued by roosting and nesting pigeons.

Pest control contractor, Leigh-based PestoKill Pest Control, one of the countries leading specialists in the field, with more than 12,500 premises under its care, needed to gain fast access to the part-pedestrianised perimeter of the building. This necessitated frequent relocation of the company's pest control experts, and working at a variety of heights. Additionally, with Victoria Square and the surrounding streets being so frequently crowded with shoppers and visitors, there was the evident need to complete the work with the minimum Disruption, and in the shortest possible time.

Following consultation with Nationwide's nearby Manchester Master Skylift depot staff, it was agreed that Nationwide's 34-metre Skylift Bronto 34MDT was the machine for the job. But why opt for a truck-mounted platform? Because a truck-mounted booms was able to move on and off the town hall site quickly and efficiently, and be fully operational within minutes of its arrival on site. Additionally, as the telescopic and articulating Skylift Bronto came with a fully qualified and experienced driver/operator, its fast and efficient use was assured.

The diesel-powered 34MDT provided PestoKill's staff with a maximum platform height of 32 metres and a maximum outreach of 24.7 metres, enabling the platform to reach over obstacles, gaining access to areas not easily achieved when using equipment where movement is limited to vertical elevation. It has a 1-metre by 1.8-metre platform that they were able to rotate 280 degrees in either direction, which further added to the machine's versatility and productivity.

Not that this was the first time that PestoKill had called on Nationwide's expertise. The relationship goes back some five years and, according to PestoKill's Cliff Ecccles, has been built on equipment reliability and fast and efficient service. Nationwide is providing powered access solutions on virtually a weekly basis, often with lead times that are unrivalled in the industry.

While every one of the 50 or so Nationwide depots can arrange the hire of Skylift equipment and a driver/operator, specialist help is readily available from the Master Skylift depots in Glasgow, Coventry, Manchester, London, Leeds and Cardiff.

Nationwide is part of the publicly-quoted Lavendon Group Plc and is headquartered in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Its hire fleet is twice the size of its nearest UK competitor and all of the company's depots comply with Nationwide's ISO 9002 accreditation. The Group is also market leader in the European powered access market, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria.

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July 2002 Nat2.040a