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 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.
