A computer expert who has spent a decade trying to recover a £600 million bitcoin fortune he believes is buried in a landfill in south Wales is now considering purchasing the site outright.
James Howells lost a high court battle last month in an attempt to force Newport City Council to allow him to search for a missing hard drive, which he claims contains his bitcoin wallet. However, with the council now planning to close and cap the landfill, Howells is exploring alternative options to continue his search.
The 39-year-old IT specialist said he was surprised by the council’s decision to shut down the site. “The council claimed at the high court that allowing me to search would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, while at the same time, they were planning to close the landfill anyway,” he said.
Howells had anticipated that the landfill would eventually be shut down, given that it was 80-90% full, but he did not expect the closure to happen so soon. In response, he is now considering a bold move: buying the landfill himself. “If Newport City Council were willing, I would potentially be interested in purchasing the landfill site ‘as is,’” he said. Howells has already discussed the possibility with investment partners and believes the idea is a viable solution.
Meanwhile, the council has secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the landfill, a move that could complicate any future attempts to recover the buried hard drive. If the site is capped and repurposed, Howells’ chances of ever retrieving his bitcoin fortune could disappear permanently.
A Decade-Long Battle for a Lost Hard Drive
Howells’ struggle to reclaim his lost fortune dates back to the summer of 2013 when he mistakenly threw away the hard drive containing his Bitcoin wallet. While sorting through office supplies at home, he placed the drive in a black bag, which was later mistaken for rubbish by his then-partner and taken to the local dump.
Realizing his error too late, Howells has spent the past decade urging Newport City Council to allow him to search. He has even offered the council a share of the recovered funds to compensate for any disruptions his excavation might cause. However, officials have repeatedly denied his requests, maintaining that the drive became council property the moment it was discarded in the landfill.
In January, Judge Keyser KC sided with the council, ruling that Howells had no legal right to retrieve the hard drive. The decision was a significant setback in his ongoing battle, but with the landfill now set to close, he sees a new opportunity to take matters into his own hands.
Howells remains determined to find the missing hard drive, which, if recovered, could make him one of the wealthiest bitcoin holders in the world. Whether Newport City Council will entertain his proposal to buy the site remains uncertain, but one thing is clear—he is not ready to give up on his fortune just yet.
A computer expert who has spent a decade trying to recover a £600 milbelieves is buried in a landfill in south Wales is now considering purchasing the site outright.
James Howells lost a high court battle last month in an attempt to force Newport City Council to allow him to search for a missing hard drive, which he claims contains his bitcoin wallet. However, with the council now planning to close and cap the landfill, Howells is exploring alternative options to continue his search.
The 39-year-old IT specialist said he was surprised by the council’s decision to shut down the site. “The council claimed at the high court that allowing me to search would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, while at the same time, they were planning to close the landfill anyway,” he said.
Howells had anticipated that the landfill would eventually be shut down, given that it was 80-90% full, but he did not expect the closure to happen so soon. In response, he is now considering a bold move: buying the landfill himself. “If Newport City Council would be willing, I would potentially be interested in purchasing the landfill site ‘as is,’” he said. Howells has already discussed the possibility with investment partners and believes the idea is a viable solution.
Meanwhile, the council has secured planning permission for a solar farm on part of the landfill, a move that could complicate any future attempts to recover the buried hard drive. If the site is capped and repurposed, Howells’ chances of ever retrieving his bitcoin fortune could disappear permanently.
A Decade-Long Battle for a Lost Hard Drive
Howells’ struggle to reclaim his lost fortune dates back to the summer of 2013 when he mistakenly threw away the hard drive containing his Bitcoin wallet. While sorting through office supplies at home, he placed the drive in a black bag, which was later mistaken for rubbish by his then-partner and taken to the local dump.
Realizing his error too late, Howells has spent the past decade urging Newport City Council to allow him to search. He has even offered the council a share of the recovered funds to compensate for any disruptions his excavation might cause. However, officials have repeatedly denied his requests, maintaining that the drive became council property the moment it was discarded in the landfill.
In January, Judge Keyser KC sided with the council, ruling that Howells had no legal right to retrieve the hard drive. The decision was a significant setback in his ongoing battle, but with the landfill now set to close, he sees a new opportunity to take matters into his own hands.
Howells remains determined to find the missing hard drive, which, if recovered, could make him one of the wealthiest bitcoin holders in the world. Whether Newport City Council will entertain his proposal to buy the site remains uncertain, but one thing is clear—he is not ready to give up on his fortune just yet.