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The initial indication Malcolm McKenzie received of his predicament was when a neighbor loudly knocked on his door and informed him his cherished Mini had plunged into a hole.

"I stepped outside expecting a small pothole under a wheel or something like that. But when I went out to take a look, I understood, oh, that really is a proper hole," he explained.

His automobile had descended into a 3-metre wide gap, likely created by a mineshaft collapse, and McKenzie has endured 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "difficult situation" trying to figure out how to extricate his Mini.

The Core Issue: Unclaimed Property

The hitch is that the property isn't registered. The authorities has said it can't remove the barriers cordoning off the sinkhole until land ownership 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 area in Redruth for about a decade and in fact has a parking space beside his house, but it is not wide enough to be useful so he started leaving his car outside a nearby bakery. He had verified with both the bakery and the local authority that he wouldn't get a ticket.

"I'd finally felt like I was making progress, I had a reliable small vehicle that was fuel-efficient and easy to keep on the road. It signified I could finally focus on trying to put money aside to take my child on her aspirational journey to Japan one day. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Incident and Consequences

Then came that knock on the door on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was very alarmed. The police turned up and secured the zone off. We all had to remain in the houses because we couldn't leave without going past the hole. The road crew arrived, put the fence up, and then they returned and put a second fence up surrounding it as well."

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

McKenzie believed he would be without his car for a short period. But days have now turned into weeks.

A Potential Solution

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

The vehicle has been badly damaged 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 vehicle was eaten by the Earth itself," McKenzie noted.

Council Statement

A spokesperson from the authorities expressed it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it added: "The ground giving way did not occur on public property. We have secured the location and advised the vehicle owner that we will organize to lift the fence to enable him to recover 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 vicinity to ensure public safety."