A social media influencer who has received backlash after carrying a bathtub up a Welsh mountain and leaving it there has said it was an “honest mistake”.
Tom Christopher, 25, had taken the tub up Pen y Fan mountain in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park on 17 July and shared a video of him bathing in it while at the summit.
He told the BBC his intention had been to film a “cool, wholesome video which made people smile”, and said he would be “gutted” if landed with a fine for fly-tipping.
Mr Christopher, from Swansea, said that he had been asked by fellow climbers atop the 2,907ft mountain to keep the tub there so they could take pictures, and that he had originally planned to carry it back down.
The tub was discovered by Cardiff Rugby Academy players the following day and handed to park officials.
He has now received significant backlash for his actions, with many accusing him of fly-tipping and disrespecting the beauty of the Brecon Beacons.
“It was a complete, honest mistake,” Mr Christopher told BBC.
“I obviously didn’t mistakenly leave it up there, I didn’t forget. It was a mistake in the fact I thought I was doing the right thing with people telling me it was ‘awesome’ and ‘cool’.
“I should never have left anything up the mountain. I’m glad the message of this story is that, even though I’m the villain, everyone’s sticking up for the national park.
“It’s a dirty mistake, I shouldn’t be leaving anything up the mountain.
“It’s my fault for thinking it was a good idea, when clearly I should have been thinking more about keeping our nature clean,” he said.
He added that he was unclear if he had been fined after the incident was reported as fly-tipping.
“I haven’t got the money. I’m in my overdraft, I haven’t got the money to do anything.
“If it comes, I’ll be gutted. I hope there’s an option to do some voluntary work to try and pay the fine.”
A spokesperson for National Trust Cymru said its rangers helped the rugby players bring the bathtub down “due to the risk it posed to both visitors and the site of scientific interest [SSSI] with the potential for contamination”.
The spokesperson said littering and fly-tipping can cause significant harm to landscapes and wildlife, and distract rangers from essential conservation work.
“We kindly encourage everyone visiting the mountains, countryside and coast in our care to simply ‘leave no trace’, so that everyone can enjoy these special places,” they added.
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