Redruth Man Loses Car in Unexpected Sinkhole

The initial indication Malcolm McKenzie had of his situation was when a neighbor loudly knocked on his front door and told him his beloved Mini had fallen into a hole.

"I stepped outside anticipating a minor dip under a wheel or something similar. But when I walked out to take a look, I realized, oh, that truly is a proper hole," he stated.

His automobile had descended into a 10-foot wide opening, likely caused by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has endured 25 days stuck in a bureaucratic "nightmare" trying to determine how to retrieve his car.

The Core Problem: Unclaimed Land

The complication is that the land has no registered owner. The authorities has stated it can't remove the barriers blocking off the sinkhole until land ownership had been established. "It's quite a difficult situation," said McKenzie, 36, a freelance creative. "There's bureaucracy at every turn."

McKenzie has resided in the area in Redruth for about a decade and in fact has a designated spot next to his house, but it is not wide enough to be practical so he started leaving his car outside a local bakery. He had verified with both the shop and the council that he would avoid receiving a parking fine.

"I had finally reached a point like I was getting somewhere, I had a dependable small vehicle that was fuel-efficient and simple to keep on the road. It meant I could at last focus on trying to save up to take my child on her aspirational journey to Japan one day. She's constantly dreamed to go."

The Event and Aftermath

Then arrived that loud rapping on a Saturday in November. "My neighbour was quite panicked. The officers turned up and secured the zone off. We all had to remain in the houses because we couldn't leave without passing by the hole. The highways people came out, put the barrier up, and then they came out and put a additional barrier up surrounding it as well."

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

McKenzie believed he would be without his vehicle for a short period. But that short time have now turned into weeks.

A Potential Resolution

An conclusion may be approaching. The authorities has said it will cooperate with McKenzie to – briefly – lift the fences to permit the Mini to be removed. He commented: "They are willing to assist my insurer's recovery team and try to arrange a day and an suitable way of getting it out that doesn't put anybody at danger."

The car has been badly damaged and is likely to be written off. "At least I can say my Mini went out in style – not everyone can say their vehicle was eaten by the Earth itself," McKenzie remarked.

Council Statement

A spokesperson from the local council said it sympathised with McKenzie. But it said: "The ground giving way did not happen on public property. We have secured the location and advised the car owner that we will arrange to lift the barrier 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."