A UK man, James Howells, is suing his local council for £497 million in a bid to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC).
The Bitcoin was accidentally discarded in 2013 when Howells’ partner mistakenly threw away the drive with other garbage. At the time, Bitcoin was worth less than £1 million, but its value has surged significantly since then.
For over a decade, Howells has been asking the council for permission to excavate the landfill where he believes the hard drive is buried. Despite assembling a team to dig through 100 tons of waste, his requests have been consistently denied due to environmental concerns.
Howells estimates an 80% chance of recovering the Bitcoin if the hard drive is found. To incentivise the council, he has offered them 10% of the recovered amount, equating to £49.7 million. However, the council remains firm in its refusal, citing potential negative environmental impacts.
A spokesperson stated, “The council has told Mr. Howells multiple times that excavation is not possible under our environmental permit and that work of that nature would have a huge negative environmental impact on the surrounding area. The council is the only body authorised to carry out operations on the site.”
Howells’ proposed excavation would cost just under £10 million and take up to three years, with an additional year for site restoration.
He insists the council would bear no financial burden, but his lawsuit aims to pressure them into allowing the dig. So far, the council has shown no sign of relenting.
[Image created via MidJourney]