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The first sign the local man had of his situation was when a neighbor loudly knocked on his front door and informed him his beloved Mini had plunged into a opening.

"I went out expecting a small pothole under a tire or something similar. But when I walked out to check it out, I understood, oh, that truly is a proper hole," he stated.

His vehicle had descended into a 3-metre wide opening, likely caused by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has endured 25 days stuck in a bureaucratic "nightmare" trying to figure out how to retrieve his car.

The Main Issue: Unregistered Land

The complication is that the property isn't registered. The authorities has stated it won't take down the fences cordoning off the sinkhole until land ownership had been established. "It's a bit of a nightmare," said McKenzie, 36, a self-employed designer. "There's bureaucracy at every turn."

McKenzie has lived in the neighborhood in Redruth for about a decade and actually 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 local authority that he would avoid receiving a parking fine.

"I had finally reached a point like I was making progress, I had a reliable small vehicle that was fuel-efficient and easy to keep on the road. It meant I could finally focus on trying to put money aside to take my daughter on her aspirational journey to Japan someday. She's always wanted to go."

The Incident and Consequences

Then arrived that knock on the door on Saturday 1 November. "My neighbour was very alarmed. The officers arrived and secured the area off. We all had to stay in the houses because we can't get out without passing by the collapse. The road crew arrived, put the fence up, and then they returned and put a second fence up around it as well."

It is thought the opening may be an unlucky remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a disused copper and tin mine.

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

A Potential Resolution

An conclusion may be in sight. The council has stated it will cooperate with McKenzie to – briefly – remove the barriers to allow the Mini to be removed. He said: "They have agreed to work with my insurer's recovery team and try to schedule a day and an acceptable way of getting it out that ensures no anybody at danger."

The vehicle has been badly damaged and is likely to be written off. "At least I can say my Mini went out in a memorable way – not everyone can claim their vehicle was eaten by the ground beneath them," McKenzie noted.

Council Statement

A representative from the local council said it sympathised with McKenzie. But it added: "The ground giving way did not occur on public property. We have made the area safe and advised the car owner that we will arrange to lift the fence to allow him to recover the car.

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