#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#

A UK court has rejected IT engineer James Howells' application to search a Newport landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill to excavate. However, the court ruled that the plan posed significant environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Judge Keyser KC noted that excavating the landfill would cause irreversible damage to the environment and the chances of successfully finding the hard drive were extremely slim. Howells' plan was also opposed by Newport City Council, who argued that excavating the landfill would pose safety risks to local residents. Although Howells offered to cover all excavation costs and promised to take environmentally friendly measures, the court ultimately sided with environmental protection and public safety, denying his application.