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The initial sign Malcolm McKenzie received of his situation was when a neighbor urgently banged on his front door and informed him his beloved Mini had plunged into a hole.

"I went out anticipating a small pothole under a tire or something like that. But when I went out to take a look, I understood, oh, that really is a proper hole," he stated.

His vehicle had descended into a 10-foot wide gap, likely created by a mineshaft collapse, and McKenzie has endured 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "nightmare" trying to figure out how to extricate his car.

The Core Issue: Unregistered Property

The complication is that the property isn't registered. The authorities has stated it won't take down the fences cordoning off the hole until land ownership had been established. "It's quite a difficult situation," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance designer. "It's red tape everywhere."

McKenzie has resided in the neighborhood in Redruth for about a decade and actually has a designated spot beside his house, but it is not wide enough to be practical so he began parking outside a local bakery. He had verified with both the shop and the local authority that he would avoid receiving a ticket.

"I had finally reached a point like I was making progress, I had a dependable little car that was economical and simple to keep on the road. It meant I could finally focus on trying to put money aside to take my daughter on her dream trip to Japan someday. She's always wanted to go."

The Incident and Aftermath

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

It is thought the opening may be an unlucky remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a abandoned mining site.

McKenzie thought he would be without his car for a few days. But days have now become weeks.

A Possible Resolution

An end may be in sight. The authorities has said it will work with McKenzie to – briefly – remove the fences to allow the Mini to be removed. He said: "They have agreed to assist my insurer's recovery team and try to arrange a date and an acceptable way of getting it out that ensures no anybody at danger."

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

Authority Response

A spokesperson from the local council said it sympathised with McKenzie. But it said: "This collapse did not happen on council land. We have made the area safe and advised the vehicle owner that we will arrange to temporarily remove the barrier to enable him to recover the car.

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