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The first indication Malcolm McKenzie had of his situation was when a person living nearby urgently banged on his door and told him his beloved Mini had fallen into a hole.

"I stepped outside expecting a small pothole under a wheel or something similar. But when I went out to check it out, I understood, oh, that truly is a significant cavity," he stated.

His automobile had dropped into a 10-foot wide opening, possibly 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 Property

The hitch is that the land isn't registered. The authorities has said it won't take down the barriers cordoning off the hole until property rights had been established. "It's a bit of a nightmare," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance designer. "It's red tape everywhere."

McKenzie has resided in the neighborhood in Redruth for about 10 years and actually has a parking space next to his house, but it is not wide enough to be useful so he began parking outside a nearby bakery. He had checked with both the bakery and the council that he wouldn't get a parking fine.

"I had finally reached a point like I was making progress, I had a reliable little car that was fuel-efficient and easy to keep on the road. It meant I could finally focus on trying to save up to take my child on her dream trip to Japan someday. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Incident and Consequences

Then came that loud rapping on a Saturday in November. "The person next door was quite panicked. The police turned up and secured the zone off. We all had to remain in the houses because we can't get out without going past the hole. The highways people arrived, put the barrier up, and then they came out and placed a second fence up surrounding it as well."

It is believed the hole may be an unlucky remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a disused copper and tin mine.

McKenzie thought he would be separated from his car for a few days. But days have now become weeks.

A Potential Solution

An conclusion may be approaching. The authorities has stated it will cooperate with McKenzie to – briefly – lift the barriers to permit the Mini to be removed. He said: "They are willing to work with my insurer's retrieval crew and try to arrange a day and an acceptable way of getting it out that doesn't put anybody at risk."

The vehicle has been badly damaged and is probably to be declared a total loss. "On the bright side I can say my Mini met its end in a memorable way – not everyone can say their car was eaten by the ground beneath them," McKenzie noted.

Authority Statement

A representative from the local council said it sympathised with McKenzie. But it added: "The ground giving way did not happen on public property. We have secured the location and advised the vehicle owner that we will arrange to lift the barrier to enable him to retrieve the car.

"As the land is unregistered, our safety measures will stay up until property ownership has been established, and we will persist to observe the surrounding area to ensure everyone's security."