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The first sign Malcolm McKenzie received of his situation was when a person living nearby loudly knocked on his front 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 explained.

His automobile had dropped into a 10-foot wide opening, likely created by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has spent 25 days stuck in a administrative "nightmare" trying to figure out how to retrieve his car.

The Core Problem: Unregistered Property

The complication is that the property isn't registered. The authorities has stated it can't remove the barriers cordoning off the hole until land ownership had been confirmed. "It's a bit of a nightmare," said McKenzie, 36, a self-employed designer. "There's bureaucracy at every turn."

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 too narrow to be practical so he began parking outside a local bakery. He had verified with both the bakery and the council that he wouldn't get a parking fine.

"I'd finally felt like I was making progress, I had a reliable small vehicle that was economical 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 aspirational journey to Japan someday. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Event and Consequences

Then came that loud rapping on a Saturday in November. "The person next door was very alarmed. The officers turned up and secured the area off. We all had to remain in the houses because we can't get out without passing by the hole. The highways people came out, put the fence 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 remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a abandoned mining site.

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

A Possible Solution

An conclusion may be approaching. The authorities has stated it will work with McKenzie to – temporarily – remove the barriers to allow the Mini to be recovered. He commented: "They have agreed to work with my insurance company's recovery team and try to arrange a date and an suitable way of getting it out that doesn't put anybody at risk."

The vehicle has been badly damaged and is likely to be written off. "On the bright side I can say my Mini went out in style – not everyone can say their car was swallowed by the Earth itself," McKenzie remarked.

Authority Statement

A representative from the local council said it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it said: "This collapse did not occur on public property. We have secured the location and advised the vehicle owner that we will organize to temporarily remove the fence to allow him to retrieve the car.

"As the land is unregistered, our safety measures will remain in place until land ownership has been determined, and we will persist to observe the surrounding area to ensure everyone's security."