A STUNNED mum left her car in a Welsh castle car park and returned to find it had been swallowed by a SINKHOLE.

Castle assistant Karen Davies, 54, found her Fiat Panda had sunk bonnet first into the ground after finishing her shift at the attraction.

Son Luke, 30, said Karen parked in her usual spot but was later told by colleagues about the sinkhole.

He said: "She was in shock and at first she thought it was a joke.

"The car was upside down. A customer was in the car park when it started sinking - they saw it happen and how it gradually went down.

"They spoke to a member of staff but by the time my mum found out the car had sunk completely."

Luke, of Coelbren, Powys, said workers tried to tow the car out but the sinkhole at Craig-Y-Nos Castle, near Swansea, South Wales, was 20ft deep.

He said: "The pictures don't do justice to how deep it was - I didn't realise how bad it was until I saw it.

"We had to wait for recovery for a couple of hours and then they were concerned about causing more damage to the car while towing it out.

"We did consider getting a crane but we couldn't get one."

Luke told how rescuers then attached tow ropes to a truck and a Range Rover at the same time to pull the car out.

However he said the car was battered by the fall and they are waiting to hear the full extent of the damage.

He said: "We could see that both doors were dented and the rear door on the driver side could not be opened.

"The panel around the windscreen, where the car was resting on, was also damaged.

"We don't know if it is repairable yet or whether it is a write-off.

Luke said he did not know what caused the sinkhole, but he believes it could have stemmed from a nearby stream eroding the ground under the car park.

He added: "We are very grateful that no one was hurt - it was the best possible outcome."

The castle - which was built between 1841-43 - sits close to the banks of the River Tawe and has a country park managed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.

It has been used as a filming location for Doctor Who and Torchwood.