Girl, 5, in tears after copping $250 fine over homemade lemonade stall

AN entrepreneurial young girl was fined $250 by council officers for selling lemonade on the street on a hot summer’s day. Then the backlash started...

A FATHER and his young daughter have gained international attention for being fined for selling lemonade.

Andre Spicer, who was born in New Zealand, said his five-year-old daughter was left in tears after local council officers fined her about $250 for selling lemonade without a license near their home in London.

The girl was selling homemade lemonade to fans attending the Lovebox dance festival when she was fined.

Spicer said four officers “stormed up” to his daughter — one activating a body camera — and began speaking in technical legal terms, telling her that her lemonade stand infringed on local business rights.

Halfway through the interaction with the officers, Spicer said his daughter burst into tears and said: “I’ve done a bad thing, daddy. I’ve done something wrong.”

The girl was left in tears when officers told her the makeshift stall ‘infringed on local business rights’. Picture: Andre Spicer

“I think initially she was a bit shocked and sad,” Spicer said.

“And then I suggested we try it again with a permit. And she said: ‘Oh, it’s a bit scary.”’

He hopes that his daughter will overcome the “heart-wrenching” experience and continue to pursue entrepreneurial ideas.

Spicer wrote an article about the incident for the Daily Telegraph that garnered hundreds of comments and shares online.

“When I shared our experiences with my cousin who lives in Chicago, he told me this would be a national scandal if it happened in the US ... a colleague I work with thought this was an example of how we are discouraging budding female entrepreneurs (and) an Italian friend said it was yet another example of Britian’s addiction to pointless rules and regulations,” he wrote.

Amid public uproar, the council cancelled the fine and apologised to the family.

So, about the lemonade standard incident... we are very sorry that this has happened. (1/3)

— Tower Hamlets (@TowerHamletsNow) July 21, 2017

The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Mr Spicer and his daughter to apologise. 3/3

— Tower Hamlets (@TowerHamletsNow) July 21, 2017

They took to Twitter backtracking on the fine, apologising in a series of tweets beginning with “So, about the lemonade stand incident ...”.

In a statement Friday, the council said it was “very sorry” about what happened and that its enforcement officers are expected to “show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly.”

“This clearly did not happen,” it said.

Originally published as Girl, 5, in tears after copping $250 fine over homemade lemonade stall