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The first indication the local man received of his predicament was when a person living nearby loudly knocked on his door and told him his beloved Mini had plunged into a opening.

"I went out expecting a minor dip under a tire or something similar. But when I walked out to take a look, I realized, oh, that truly is a significant cavity," he stated.

His automobile had descended into a 10-foot wide opening, likely created by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has spent 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "nightmare" trying to determine how to retrieve his car.

The Main Problem: Unclaimed Land

The complication is that the property isn't registered. The local council has stated it can't remove the fences cordoning off the sinkhole until land ownership had been established. "It's a bit of a nightmare," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance creative. "It's red tape everywhere."

McKenzie has resided in the area in Redruth for about a decade and in fact has a designated spot beside his house, but it is too narrow to be practical so he started leaving his car outside a nearby bakery. He had verified with both the shop and the council that he wouldn't get a ticket.

"I'd finally felt like I was making progress, I had a dependable small vehicle that was fuel-efficient and simple to keep on the road. It signified I could finally focus on trying to put money aside to take my child on her aspirational journey to Japan someday. She's always wanted to go."

The Incident and Aftermath

Then arrived that loud rapping on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was very alarmed. The officers arrived and closed the area off. We all had to stay in the homes because we can't get out without passing by the collapse. The highways people arrived, put the fence up, and then they returned and placed a additional barrier up surrounding it as well."

It is thought the hole may be an unfortunate remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a abandoned copper and tin mine.

McKenzie believed he would be separated from his car for a short period. But days have now become weeks.

A Possible Solution

An end may be in sight. The council has stated it will work with McKenzie to – temporarily – remove the fences to allow the car to be removed. He commented: "They are willing to work with my insurer's recovery team and try to schedule a day and an suitable way of getting it out that doesn't put anybody at risk."

The car has been significantly harmed and is probably to be written off. "At least I can say my Mini met its end in style – not everyone can claim their car was eaten by the ground beneath them," McKenzie noted.

Council Response

A representative from the local council said it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it said: "The ground giving way did not occur on public property. We have made the area safe and informed the vehicle owner that we will organize to lift the barrier to enable him to recover the vehicle.

"As the land is unregistered, our safety measures will remain in place until property ownership has been determined, and we will continue to monitor the surrounding area to guarantee public safety."