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The initial indication Malcolm McKenzie had of his situation was when a neighbor urgently banged on his front door and told him his cherished Mini had fallen into a hole.

"I stepped outside anticipating a minor dip under a wheel or something similar. But when I walked out to take a look, I understood, oh, that truly is a significant cavity," he stated.

His automobile had descended into a 10-foot wide gap, possibly caused by a mineshaft collapse, and McKenzie has spent 25 days stuck in a bureaucratic "difficult situation" trying to figure out how to retrieve his Mini.

The Core Problem: Unregistered Property

The hitch is that the land has no registered owner. The authorities has stated it won't take down the fences blocking off the sinkhole until land ownership had been confirmed. "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 parking space next to his house, but it is not wide enough to be practical so he began parking outside a nearby bakery. He had verified with both the shop and the council that he wouldn't get a ticket.

"I had finally reached a point like I was getting somewhere, I had a reliable small vehicle that was economical and simple to keep on the road. It signified I could at last focus on trying to put money aside to take my daughter on her dream trip to Japan one day. She's always wanted to go."

The Event and Aftermath

Then arrived that loud rapping on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was very alarmed. The officers arrived and secured the area off. We all had to remain in the homes because we couldn't leave without going past the collapse. The road crew came out, erected the fence up, and then they returned and placed a second fence up around it as well."

It is believed the hole may be an unfortunate legacy of a historic local mine, a abandoned mining site.

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

A Possible Resolution

An conclusion may be in sight. The authorities has stated it will work with McKenzie to – temporarily – remove the fences to allow the car to be removed. He said: "They have agreed to assist my insurance company's retrieval crew and try to arrange a date and an acceptable way of getting it out that ensures no anybody at risk."

The car has been badly damaged and is probably to be declared a total loss. "At least I can say my Mini went out in a memorable way – not everyone can say their vehicle was eaten by the Earth itself," McKenzie remarked.

Council Statement

A spokesperson from the local council said it sympathised with McKenzie. But it added: "The ground giving way did not happen on public property. We have made the area safe and informed the vehicle owner that we will arrange to temporarily remove the barrier to enable him to recover the car.

"Since no one owns the land, our safety measures will remain in place until property ownership has been established, and we will continue to observe the surrounding area to guarantee everyone's security."