A 300ft hole suddenly opened up in this back garden in southwest England

A 300ft (90 metre) mine shaft has opened up in a back garden in Cornwall, south west England, swallowing an entire patio and part of a garage in the process.

The hole drops far below the ground to deep water and is currently being investigated by a team of researchers. It was found in the village of Scorrier, which has a long mining history dating back to the 18th century.

Local surveyors made the discovery after analysing age old maps and beginning to drill into the mine, which caused half of the garage and the garden patio of the home to disappear into its depths. The home is currently unoccupied.

Mark Thomas, a local who used a drone to explore the hole from above, told The Telegraph: "This shaft is truly massive and is approximately 300ft to water and god knows how deep from there."

The shaft is thought to be a relic of the area's tin mining industry which stretches back nearly 200 years.

Former mining consultant Alan Buckley said the old shafts were covered by railway sleepers which rotted away over many decades.

Speaking to the BBC, Buckley said:

You often get collapses after long periods of rain, which we have had. Scorrier is in the area of the old Great North Downs Mines, a major part of the tin mining industry in Cornwall, so it's not surprising to find collapses here.

Stuart Dann, who heads local mine survey firm Mining Eye told the BBC: "The area was completely different in the 18th century with dozens of engine houses and hundreds of shafts. The area is like a massive bit of Swiss cheese. There have been several old mines opening up recently, including one at Telegraph Hill in St Day which is 200ft (61m) deep."

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