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The initial indication Malcolm McKenzie had of his situation was when a person living nearby loudly knocked on his door and told him his beloved Mini had plunged into a opening.

"I stepped outside anticipating a small pothole under a tire or something similar. But when I walked out to check it out, I realized, oh, that truly is a proper hole," he explained.

His automobile had dropped into a 10-foot wide opening, possibly caused by a mineshaft collapse, and McKenzie has endured 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "nightmare" trying to figure out how to retrieve his car.

The Main Issue: Unclaimed Property

The hitch is that the land isn't registered. The authorities has said it can't remove the fences blocking off the hole until property rights had been confirmed. "It's quite a difficult situation," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance designer. "It's red tape everywhere."

McKenzie has lived in the neighborhood in Redruth for about 10 years and actually has a designated spot next to his house, but it is too narrow to be practical so he started leaving his car outside a local bakery. He had verified with both the bakery and the council 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 fuel-efficient and simple to keep on the road. It signified I could at last focus on trying to save up to take my child on her dream trip to Japan someday. She's always wanted to go."

The Incident and Consequences

Then came that loud rapping on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was quite panicked. The officers arrived and secured the area off. We all had to stay in the homes because we can't get out without going past the collapse. The road crew arrived, erected the fence up, and then they returned and put a second fence up around it as well."

It is believed the opening may be an unfortunate remnant of a historic local mine, a disused copper and tin mine.

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

A Potential Solution

An conclusion may be in sight. The authorities has said it will cooperate with McKenzie to – briefly – remove the barriers to permit the car to be recovered. He commented: "They have agreed to work with my insurance company's recovery team and try to arrange a day 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. "On the bright side I can say my Mini met its end in a memorable way – not everyone can claim their vehicle was swallowed by the ground beneath them," McKenzie remarked.

Authority Response

A representative from the local council said it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it added: "The ground giving way did not happen on council land. We have secured the location and informed the car owner that we will organize to lift the fence to allow him to retrieve the car.

"Since no one owns the land, our barriers will remain in place until land ownership has been determined, and we will persist to observe the surrounding area to ensure everyone's security."