When scientists needed to identify the species of bat nesting in the roof of a house being renovated on the Brookmans Park Estate, between Potters Bar and Hatfield in Hertfordshire, they were faced with two challenges.

Bats are a protected species and can be moved only by experts; even then it must be at the right time, and certainly not in the particular specie's breeding season. The second challenge was to get access to the unsafe roof for the scientists without having to resort to measures that would churn up the front lawn.

The answer came in the somewhat unconventional guise of powered access from Nationwide Access' Skylift fleet of truck mounted units. Although more commonly used for crews erecting and maintaining telecommunications masts, the Skylift Unimog was chosen for the task as its four-wheel-drive capability ensured easy access to the densely overgrown site.

It allowed the scientists to be lifted over the roof and be positioned so close to the bats that they were able to remove droppings that enabled them to identify the breed, and determine that they could be moved, as this was not the breeding season for this particular species. The Unimog was positioned at the rear of the building and, thanks to being truck mounted, was able to be manoeuvred to positions that gave the scientists the best possible access to the bats.

The Unimog unit, which was supplied from Nationwide's St Albans depot, provided the scientists with a safe working height of 15 metres and an extremely useful seven-metre outreach over the roof. This versatility was enhanced by the boom's 360-degree rotation, which further aided the Nationwide-supplied driver/operator to reposition the cage as the investigations progressed.

Nationwide is part of the publicly quoted Lavendon Group Plc and is headquartered in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The Group is European market leader in the powered access rental market, trading under the name Zooom in Germany, France, Spain and Austria. Full details on the Nationwide offering of booms, scissor lifts and truck mounted units can be found at www.nationwideaccess.com.