Fury as 'mindless' influencer dumps bathtub at top of Brecon Beacons after world record attempt

By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:29, 22 July 2026 | Updated: 18:31, 22 July 2026 A 'mindless' influencer has been blasted for dumping a bath at the top of a 3000ft mountain in the Brecon Beacons.  Tom Christopher, 35, carried the tub up Pen y Fan- the highest peak in South Wales-  in an attempt to break the record for the 'world's highest bath' and had planned to leave it there for 48 hours. He said: 'I just wanted to do something crazy and make a funny, cool video showing me taking a bath up Pen y Fan whilst watching the sunset.'  After filming himself manoeuvring the heavy household object up the peak on Thursday, July 16, Mr Christopher said he put up signs at the bottom of the mountain asking people to help him fill up the bath by bringing up bottles of river water.  However, a 'confused' local Cardiff rugby team spotted it during a volunteer day 24 hours later and removed the tub themselves after assuming it had been dumped. The team said they carried it all the way back down the mountain and slammed the 'mindless' action.  A Cardiff Rugby Academy spokesman said: 'Fantastic day for senior academy supporting the national trust at Pen y Fan with some invaluable work experience and teamwork essential. 'Also the group had the pleasure of carrying a bath from the top down. Who would leave a bath up there?! #mindless.' Tom Christopher, 35, carried the tub up Pen y Fan- the highest peak in South Wales- in an attempt to break the record for the 'world's highest bath' He had planned to leave it there for 48 hours but a 'confused' local Cardiff rugby team spotted it during a volunteer day and removed the tub themselves after assuming it had been dumped  Mr Christopher has since apologised for leaving the tub, claiming it was 'genuinely for a good cause' Mr Christopher has apologised for leaving the tub, claiming it was 'genuinely for a good cause'.    'Even though I'm the "bad guy", I am so happy that people are sticking up for the national parks and keeping them clean,' he said.  He added: 'It weighed a tonne and was a nightmare to take it up there - so the honest truth was I thought I'd leave it there for 48 hours and then take it back down. 'I should have left a note on the bath explaining that really.'   Mr Christopher has since been informed by the National Trust rangers that it has been crushed. He said: 'That bath put me in an overdraft, I lost £400 but I've learnt my mistake. 'I could have gotten a dirty scummy bath but it's brand new so I was definitely going to bring it back down.'       After posting a video online, Mr Christopher said it quickly went viral, receiving over 200k views in just four hours.  He said: 'The reason for the video soon became not just me taking the bath, but showing the public getting together to fill it up with water. 'People say, "oh it's only for me", but I genuinely wanted to make it a community thing too.' Mr Christopher said he put up signs at the bottom of the mountain asking people to help him fill up the bath by bringing up bottles of river water The stunt has sparked controversy online with some people saying Mr Christopher should pay a fine for fly-tipping at the Welsh beauty spot.   Fines in Wales for fly-tipping can amount to £1000, but this is due to increase to £5000 this summer with tougher on-the-spot fines. A National Trust Cymru spokesman told The Telegraph: 'Following reports of a bathtub being left on the summit of Pen y Fan, our ranger team, alongside volunteers from Cardiff Rugby Academy, retrieved it due to the risk it posed to both visitors and the Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) with the potential for contamination. 'Littering and fly-tipping can cause significant harm to landscapes and wildlife and it takes our ranger teams away from essential conservation work such as restoring and managing habitats and fixing footpaths.  '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.'