Man who lost £600m Bitcoin fortune wants to buy landfill to search for it
After a legal case to force the council to let him search the site was thrown
out by a judge, James Howells is toying with offering to purchase it instead and
says he is discussing the idea with his business partners.
Monday 10 February 2025 20:14, UK
A man who believes he accidentally lost a Bitcoin fortune in a council rubbish
tip is exploring the possibility of buying the landfill site before it is shut.
James Howells, from Newport in South Wales, claimed his ex-girlfriend mistakenly
threw out a hard drive containing thousands of Bitcoins
[https://news.sky.com/topic/bitcoin-7047] in 2013.
According to the 39-year-old IT worker, they are worth more than £600m and he
has been trying to recover them ever since.
Now he is considering buying the site so he can hunt for the missing fortune
himself, multiple outlets reported on Monday.
Newport City Council is planning to close and cap the site in the 2025-26
financial year, which would almost certainly spell the end of any lingering
hopes of recovering them.
Mr Howells said in widely reported comments on Monday it had been “quite a
surprise” to hear of the council’s closure plan.
Last month a judge dismissed a legal case he brought to force the council to
allow him to search the landfill site, or award him £495m in compensation.
He said the council had claimed in court that closing the landfill to allow him
to search “would have a huge detrimental impact on the people of Newport, whilst
at the same time they were planning to close the landfill anyway.
“I expected it would be closed in the coming years because it’s 80-90% full –
but didn’t expect its closure so soon.
“If Newport City Council would be willing, I would potentially be interested in
purchasing the landfill site ‘as is’ and have discussed this option with
investment partners and it is something that is very much on the table.”
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Judge Keyser KC said Mr Howells’ claim had “no realistic prospect of succeeding”
if he allowed it to go to trial, The Guardian reported
Newport City Council has been contacted for comment.
