The first sign the local man had of his situation was when a person living nearby urgently banged on his door and informed him his cherished Mini had fallen into a hole.
"I went out expecting a small pothole under a tire or something similar. But when I went out to take a look, I realized, oh, that really is a significant cavity," he stated.
His automobile had descended into a 10-foot wide opening, likely created by a mineshaft collapse, and McKenzie has spent 25 days caught in a bureaucratic "difficult situation" trying to figure out how to retrieve his Mini.
The Main Problem: Unregistered Land
The hitch is that the land isn't registered. The local council has said it won't take down the barriers cordoning off the hole 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 area in Redruth for about 10 years and actually has a designated spot beside 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 would avoid receiving a parking fine.
"I had finally reached a point like I was getting somewhere, I had a dependable little car that was economical and easy 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 always wanted to go."
The Incident and Consequences
Then came that knock on the door on Saturday 1 November. "The person next door was very alarmed. The police turned up and secured the area off. We all had to remain in the houses because we can't get out without passing by the collapse. The road crew came out, put the fence up, and then they came out and placed a additional barrier up around it as well."
It is thought the hole may be an unfortunate remnant of Pednandrea Mine, a disused mining site.
McKenzie believed he would be without his car for a short period. But that short time have now turned into weeks.
A Possible Solution
An end may be approaching. The council has said it will cooperate with McKenzie to – briefly – remove the barriers to permit 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 getting it out that doesn't put anybody at danger."
The vehicle has been badly damaged and is probably to be written off. "On the bright side I can say my Mini went out in a memorable way – not everyone can say their vehicle was eaten by the Earth itself," McKenzie remarked.
Authority Response
A representative from the local council said it felt sorry with McKenzie. But it added: "This collapse did not occur on council land. We have secured the location and informed the car owner that we will organize to temporarily remove the fence to enable him to recover the car.
"Since no one owns the land, our safety measures will remain in place until property ownership has been established, and we will persist to observe the surrounding area to guarantee public safety."
