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    British man sues council for $647M over lost Bitcoin in landfill

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    James Howells is in a legal battle with Newport City Council over a discarded hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins, worth around £495 million ($647 million), accidentally thrown away in 2013. Despite offering the council 10% of the Bitcoin’s value and proposing an $11 million recovery plan harmful to neither the eco-system nor the council’s budget, the council has denied his requests due to environmental concerns and questions over the feasibility and legality of the search.

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    James Howells, a tech guy from Newport, has found himself in a £495 million ($647 million) legal fight with Newport City Council after accidentally chucking a hard drive that had 8,000 Bitcoins on it. He’s been trying to get it back from the local landfill site, but the council isn’t letting him dig it up.

    Howells has been trying to get his lost hard drive back for over a decade now. He mistakenly threw it out during a clear-out back in 2013. At that time, his 8,000 Bitcoins were only worth about £1 million ($1.3 million).

    He’s put together a team of legal hotshots to help him out, and they’re taking the fight to court in December.

    Howells even offered to give the council 10% of his Bitcoin value if they find the hard drive. But, the council claims that digging up the landfill site could potentially harm the environment.

    Why? Well, this specific dump has already had problems with its environmental permit, including high levels of asbestos, arsenic, and methane. The council reckons that digging it up could worsen these problems and harm the surrounding area.

    In 2022, Howells came up with an $11 million plan to find his lost hard drive, even though it could be buried under around 110,000 tonnes of rubbish. His plan won’t cost the council a penny, but they’re still saying no, questioning whether it’s legal and even possible to find the drive.

    Keeping your Bitcoin safe isn’t always easy. To help protect your hard-earned crypto, try storing your hardware wallets securely, keep your private keys offline, and back up recovery phrases in multiple secure locations. That way, you’re not left rummaging through a landfill like Howells.

    Source: Cointelegraph

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