#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 the local government to allow him to excavate. However, Judge Keyser KC ruled that the excavation would pose significant environmental risks and that there was "no realistic prospect of success" in the trial. Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, arguing that excavation would cause irreversible damage to the environment. Although Howells offered to cover all excavation costs and promised to take environmentally friendly measures, the judge still deemed the risks too high and ultimately rejected his application. The case has sparked debate about the security of digital assets and environmental protection, reminding people to exercise extreme caution when handling important data.