Driver criticises airport parking as fine is dropped

Dave Fitzheslop said he was fined after his wife jumped into his car when stopped at a temporary traffic light

A man who was summoned to court over a £170 airport parking fine said the claim had been discontinued with no explanation, just before the hearing.

In April 2024, Dave Fitzheslop was fined for stopping at a temporary traffic light in front of the Bristol Airport terminal where his wife spotted him and jumped in, on his way to a pick-up zone.

He claimed he had been wrongly charged by parking management contractor VCS for stopping in a "no stopping zone", indicated with double red lines.

A VCS spokesperson said an administrative error during the court process meant its claim was "inadvertently cancelled".

VCS said in a statement: "The charge notice was issued as 'no drop off or pick up' is permitted on the roadways irrespective of whether a vehicle is stopped at a red light.

"Had the vehicle simply stopped at a red traffic light or to allow pedestrians to cross the road, a charge notice would not have been issued."

VCS said the Independent Appeals Service had declined an appeal by Mr Fitzheslop before the administrative error.

Mr Fitzheslop said: "Had the traffic lights not been there I wouldn't have stopped.

"It was sheer, pure chance that my wife had clocked me and jumped in."

Bristol Airport wrote to Mr Fitzheslop explaining his charge notice was issued "solely because a passenger was picked up on this roadway, not because the vehicle was stopped at traffic lights or queueing at traffic lights".

But he described the system as a "money-making scheme", saying correspondence from Bristol Airport and VCS was "inconsistent", with some letters suggesting the charge was issued because he had stopped in a "no stopping zone".

Mr Fitzheslop said he was convinced he'd "done nothing wrong"

After months ignoring fines, bailiffs, debt recovery letters and receiving a court summons, the claim was finally increased to £261.72.

"The whole way along nobody [was] really paying attention to the appeals that I'd made," he said.

"A little bit of me was thinking 'pay it up'. But at the same time I'm fully convinced I've done nothing wrong here."

About a month before his county court hearing, scheduled for 8 May, he got a letter saying VCS had dropped the claim "with no explanation".

"I felt vindicated," he said. "It's annoying we had to go through this painful process to get here – it would have saved a whole year of our lives."

He claimed that others had reported similar issues in online forums.

Commenting on Mr Fitzheslop's experience, lawyer Gary Rycroft said: "I've heard of similar cases when [people] have pushed back and queried if these fines are enforceable – then they have been withdrawn."

VCS confirmed to the BBC it had taken people to court over parking on double red lines but wouldn't confirm if they had won.

Mr Fitzheslop said he now preferred to park outside the airport.