A Briton decided to buy a landfill where a hard drive with bitcoin could have been lost (3 photos)

The man came up with the idea after a court stopped him from searching for his hard drive in a landfill. He claims the total value of the drive containing the bitcoins is now around £600 million.





Computer expert James Howells from Newport, UK, has been trying for over a decade to find a hard drive containing bitcoins, which he believes is buried in a local landfill. Now he plans to buy the entire site, located in South Wales, to continue his search.

Howells made the proposal after a court last month stopped him from searching the landfill to find the hard drive. The council has since announced plans to close and cordon off the site, which will almost certainly end any hopes of finding bitcoins. The council also plans to build a power station on the site.



Howells, however, is surprised by the decision. He did not expect the site to be closed “so soon”. “If Newport City Council is keen, I would be interested in acquiring the site as it is. I have been discussing it with investment partners and it is a possibility,” he said.

Howells previously revealed that in the summer of 2013, while cleaning up, his girlfriend accidentally threw away a bag containing a hard drive. According to Howells, it contained around 8,000 bitcoins. Their current value could reach £600 million.

Soon realising his mistake, James repeatedly approached Newport City Council asking for permission to dig up the hard drive from the dump where it was dumped, but was repeatedly refused.

The Briton is convinced that he has found the exact location of the discarded hard drive: it is allegedly in the "Cell 2 - Zone 2" section of the Docksway landfill in Newport.



"I can spend the rest of my life working nine to five and thinking about this every day. Or I can spend my time trying to find this piece of iron. Until the court says no, I will," Howells said. "The legal costs are covered. We are prepared to go to the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court. In such a big case, I expect to see it through to the end. I really didn't want to go to court, but this is my last chance," the Briton added.

A Newport City Council representative explained that they cannot allow James to dig up the supposed location of the hard drive because it could negatively affect the environment.