🔗 Share this article

The first indication the local man had of his situation was when a person living nearby urgently banged on his front door and told him his beloved Mini had plunged into a hole.

"I stepped outside expecting a minor dip under a wheel or something similar. But when I went out to check it out, I understood, oh, that really is a proper hole," he stated.

His automobile had dropped into a 10-foot wide opening, possibly caused by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has endured 25 days stuck in a bureaucratic "difficult situation" trying to figure out how to retrieve his Mini.

The Core Issue: Unclaimed Property

The hitch is that the land has no registered owner. The authorities has stated it won't take down the fences cordoning off the hole until land ownership had been established. "It's a bit of a nightmare," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance designer. "There's bureaucracy at every turn."

McKenzie has lived in the neighborhood in Redruth for about a decade and actually has a designated spot next to his house, but it is too narrow to be practical so he began parking outside a nearby bakery. He had verified with both the bakery 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 dependable little car that was economical and easy to keep on the road. It signified I could finally focus on trying to save up to take my daughter on her dream trip to Japan someday. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Incident and Aftermath

Then arrived that loud rapping on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was quite panicked. The officers turned up and closed the zone off. We all had to stay in the houses because we couldn't leave without going past the hole. The highways people came out, erected the fence up, and then they came out and put a second fence up surrounding it as well."

It is believed the opening may be an unfortunate remnant of a historic local mine, a disused mining site.

McKenzie thought he would be without his vehicle for a short period. 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 – remove the barriers to allow the Mini to be removed. He commented: "They are willing to assist my insurer's retrieval crew and try to schedule a date and an suitable way of getting it out that ensures no anybody at danger."

The car has been significantly harmed and is likely to be declared a total loss. "At least I can say my Mini met its end in style – not everyone can claim their vehicle was eaten by the ground beneath them," McKenzie noted.

Council Response

A spokesperson from the local council said it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it said: "The ground giving way did not happen on council land. We have secured the location and advised the car owner that we will organize to temporarily remove the barrier to allow him to recover the car.

"Since no one owns the land, our barriers will stay up until property ownership has been established, and we will persist to observe the vicinity to guarantee public safety."