News

Milford Haven: Newspaper editor in search for £1.4m hard drive

Published

9 years ago

November 29, 2017

IN 2009 a Pembrokeshire businessman spent £50 buying 175 Bitcoins. It was to fund a transaction that in the end he did not go on to complete – and the Bitcoin was left unspent.
But now, eight years on, Thomas Sinclair, now the editor of The Pembrokeshire Herald, is on the hunt for a computer hard drive which is now worth over £1.4million.
The value of the internet crypto-currency has skyrocketed in recent years with Bitcoins, which were valued at just a few pence when the currency was launched in January 2009 skyrocketing to £8190 each today – over eight times the value of an ounce of gold.
Thomas Sinclair said: “The computer I used to buy the Bitcoin years ago developed a fault with the graphics card and I stopped using it.
“I suspect the parts were cannibalised to keep other computers going at our offices. I never throw anything away so the hard drive is bound to be somewhere – we are currently conducting a hunt to find it – without it I will not be able to use the Bitcoin.”
He added: “To be honest, I had completely forgotten about the Bitcoins – it was only recently when going through my bank statements I saw the purchase back in 2009 and remembered that I had not spent the £50.
“After asking colleagues in the office to check the value of the 175 coins I purchased I nearly fell off my chair when the answer of £1.4m was given to me – it is simply unbelievable!”
Glenn Alcock, Head of IT at The Pembrokeshire Herald, said: “This is certainly an interesting scenario, but as hard drives have a long lifespan, I’m confident we will be able to retrieve the data successfully.
“As the business has grown, we have accumulated a lot of PCs, so it will take quite a few hours to search through everything.
“Previous employees have not been very organised with storing hardware, so the biggest challenge for me right now is finding every hard drive in the building.
“We are looking for a 6.4GB hard drive manufactured in 1998.”
Jokingly he added: “When I successfully find the hard drive, and retrieve the data, I expect Mr Sinclair will be very generous with his reward.”
Using Bitcoin allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment processes to pay for goods and services directly.
Banks and other financial institutions have been concerned about Bitcoin’s associations with money laundering and online crime because transactions take place anonymously.
The soaring value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies comes despite growing warnings over a price bubble.
The starkest warning came from the JP Morgan chief executive, Jamie Dimon, who said Bitcoin was a fraud that would ultimately blow up.
Speaking in September to media in the USA, he said there was a limited market for the digital currency, arguing that it was only fit for use by drug dealers, murderers and people living in countries such as North Korea.
He pledged to sack any JP Morgan trader investing in Bitcoin, but also admitted he had not been able to dissuade his daughter from investing.
Jordan Hiscott, the chief trader at Ayondo Markets, said: “The returns are truly remarkable, especially given the recent ban on Bitcoin trading in China, where demand had previously accounted for at least 10% of all global volumes.”
Of the more than 16.7 million Bitcoins in circulation, nearly 4 million could be lost forever, according to new research from digital forensics firm Chainalysis, based on a detailed empirical analysis of the blockchain — the ‘digital ledger’ which records all Bitcoin transactions, and which gives the currency its value.
That amounts to a staggering $30bn.
On analyst has explained why the amount of lost Bitcoins is so high: “When Bitcoins are produced, they have a private key associated with them. It works using key-pair cryptography — you have a public address and a private key that go together. The public address is what you use to send Bitcoins, the private key is what you need to spend them.
“If you lose the private key, because of the mathematics involved and the strength of the cryptographic system, which is what makes it so safe, it’s impossible to ever get it back. What’s commonly happened is people have just deleted the file off their computer — the text document that holds the private key.”

Crime

Man charged with attempted murder after A44 collision near Aberystwyth

Published

8 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A 24-YEAR-OLD man has been charged following a single-vehicle collision on the A44 near Capel Bangor, Aberystwyth.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the incident happened on Tuesday, June 30.

Owen Rhys-Jones, of Dol-y-Bont, Aberystwyth, has been charged with attempted murder, dangerous driving, and controlling and coercive behaviour.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before court.

Police are continuing to appeal for witnesses and are asking anyone who was in the Capel Bangor area at around 8.50pm on Tuesday, June 30, to come forward.

Officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who witnessed a disturbance in or around Capel Bangor, or who may have phone, video or dashcam footage of the incident.

Anyone with information can contact Dyfed-Powys Police through the force’s dedicated online portal.

The force said: “We would like to thank the local community for their support while officers have carried out extensive enquiries, and to those who have supported our investigation so far.”

News

A40 closed near Llandeilo following collision

Published

9 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A SECTION of the A40 in Carmarthenshire has been closed in both directions following a collision.

The road is currently shut between Llandeilo and Nantgaredig, with traffic queuing in the area and emergency services attending.

Drivers are being urged to avoid the route where possible, allow extra time for their journeys and follow the diversions in place.

The closure is affecting traffic on the A40 between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, including the area around Pentrefelin and the Castle Dryslwyn turn-off.

This is a developing incident and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Local Government

Award-winning Saundersfoot sauna faces refusal over location concerns

Published

9 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS to allow an award-winning outdoor sauna to remain permanently at Saundersfoot Harbour have been recommended for refusal by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park planners.

Hwyl Outdoor Sauna, run by Kerry Evans, was granted temporary two-year permission in June 2024 for a mobile wood-fired sauna at the harbour.

The business has since become a popular feature with residents, visitors and cold-water swimmers, and was named Sauna of the Year 2026/27 at the Wales Prestige Awards earlier this year.

***Saundersfoot’s cold-water swimmers are sauna regulars. (Image: Hwyl Outdoor Sauna)***

***Hwyl Outdoor Sauna (Image: Hwyl Outdoor Sauna)***

Ms Evans has now applied to make the siting permanent, but officers are recommending refusal when the application goes before the National Park Authority’s development management committee on Tuesday, July 15.

A supporting statement submitted with the application said the sauna had “become a popular and valued amenity for both residents and visitors, offering a space focused on health, wellbeing and community connection”.

It added: “The overall sentiment within the village has been strongly supportive, with many residents recognising the sauna as a valuable asset that enhances the amenities in Saundersfoot.

“Hwyl Outdoor Sauna has received positive attention in regional and national press, helping to promote Saundersfoot as a destination for coastal wellbeing and outdoor experiences.

“Media coverage has highlighted the sauna as an example of the increasing popularity of sea swimming and sauna culture around the UK coastline.”

Saundersfoot Community Council has raised no objection to the application, and most of the 19 letters submitted by members of the public support the proposal.

Supporters have described the sauna as “a major asset to the village,” “a wellness landmark for Saundersfoot,” and “a unique offering that attracts visitors to the beach and harbour”.

However, some objectors have said that while they support permanent consent in principle, they do not believe the sauna should remain in its current position because it “obstructs the view of the beach from the promenade”.

In their report to committee members, National Park officers say the proposal, in its current form and location, would harm the setting of the Saundersfoot Conservation Area.

The report states: “The application, in its current form and with the proposed location of the sauna, is considered to result in a landscape impact that harms the setting of the Saundersfoot Conservation Area.

“The sauna is also located in a position which reduces public access along the existing promenade route, which is considered to prevent appropriate access from being achieved.

“In addition, since the temporary permission was granted, planning advice has been updated and there is now a requirement for a Flood Consequences Assessment in this location. The lack of a suitable Flood Consequences Assessment results in insufficient information to support the current application.”

Officers also note that the latest application includes additional development, including a booking office which has already been installed, meaning the overall scale of the proposal is greater than the scheme approved on a temporary basis in 2024.

The report adds: “Following consideration of the implementation of the temporary permission and given the greater extent of the current proposal, it is considered that the visual impact of the sauna and related booking office has now increased and could be reduced by locating the sauna further back in the car park.

“This would also have the benefit of the sauna not requiring relocation during severe weather and increased flood risk.”

The application is recommended for refusal on the grounds of visual impact, impact on the conservation area, reduced public access along the promenade, and the absence of a suitable Flood Consequences Assessment.

Committee members will make the final decision at the July 15 meeting.