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heard of similar cases when [people] have pushed back and queried if these fines are enforceable – then they have been withdrawn.”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.