Redruth Man Loses Vehicle in Unexpected Sinkhole

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

"I stepped outside expecting 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 significant cavity," he stated.

His vehicle had dropped into a 3-metre wide opening, possibly caused by a collapsed mine shaft, and McKenzie has spent 25 days caught in a administrative "difficult situation" trying to determine how to extricate his car.

The Main Issue: Unclaimed Property

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

McKenzie has resided in the neighborhood in Redruth for about a decade and actually has a designated spot next to his house, but it is not wide enough to be practical so he began parking outside a nearby bakery. He had checked with both the shop and the local authority that he wouldn't get a ticket.

"I had finally reached a point like I was getting somewhere, I had a dependable little car that was fuel-efficient 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 always wanted to go."

The Event and Aftermath

Then came that knock on the door on a Saturday in November. "My neighbour was quite panicked. The police turned up and secured the zone off. We all had to stay in the houses because we can't get out without passing by the hole. The road crew arrived, put the barrier up, and then they came out and placed a additional barrier 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 vehicle for a few days. But that short time have now become weeks.

A Possible Solution

An conclusion may be approaching. The council has stated it will cooperate with McKenzie to – temporarily – remove the fences to allow the Mini to be recovered. He commented: "They have agreed to work with my insurance company's recovery team and try to schedule a date and an suitable way of extracting it that ensures no anybody at danger."

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

Council Response

A spokesperson from the authorities expressed it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it added: "This collapse did not occur on public property. We have made the area safe and informed the car owner that we will arrange to lift the fence to allow him to retrieve the vehicle.

"Since no one owns the land, our barriers will remain in place until property ownership has been determined, and we will continue to monitor the vicinity to ensure public safety."