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The initial indication the local man received of his predicament was when a neighbor urgently banged on his door and informed 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 went out to check it out, I understood, oh, that really is a significant cavity," he stated.

His vehicle had dropped into a 10-foot wide gap, likely created by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has spent 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "difficult situation" trying to figure out how to retrieve his Mini.

The Core Issue: Unclaimed Land

The complication is that the land isn't registered. The authorities has stated it won't take down the barriers cordoning off the sinkhole 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 lived in the neighborhood in Redruth for about a decade and in fact has a designated spot next to his house, but it is not wide enough to be practical so he began parking outside a local bakery. He had checked with both the shop and the local authority 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 at last focus on trying to save up to take my daughter on her dream trip to Japan one day. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Event and Consequences

Then arrived that loud rapping on a Saturday in November. "My neighbour was very alarmed. The police turned up and secured the zone off. We all had to remain in the homes because we can't get out without passing by the collapse. The highways people came out, put the barrier up, and then they came out and put a second fence up surrounding it as well."

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

McKenzie thought he would be without his vehicle for a few days. But days have now turned into weeks.

A Possible Resolution

An end may be in sight. The authorities has said it will work with McKenzie to – temporarily – lift the barriers to permit the car to be recovered. He said: "They have agreed to assist my insurance company's retrieval crew and try to schedule a date and an suitable way of extracting it that doesn't put anybody at danger."

The car has been significantly harmed and is probably to be declared a total loss. "At least I can say my Mini went out in style – not everyone can say their car was eaten by the ground beneath them," McKenzie remarked.

Council Response

A spokesperson from the local council expressed 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 advised the vehicle owner that we will organize to lift the fence to allow him to recover the car.

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