A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl has been fined £150 for selling four jugs of lemonade at the end of her London street.
In an article in The Telegraph the girl’s father, André Spicer, explained that his daughter set up the stand after seeing a similar one at a school fete.
The pair made four jugs of lemonade and sold them: 50p for a small cup and £1 for a large one.
The stall attracted people passing by on their way to the Lovebox music festival, which was taking place in nearby Victoria Park, and the jugs were quickly emptied.
“She just wanted to put a smile on people’s faces. She was really proud of herself,” Spicer said to the BBC.
However, before long, four enforcement officers from Tower Hamlets Council showed up and started filming the father and daughter while reading them a legal statement that informed them that they were being fined £150 for trading without a licence.
“But don’t worry, it is only £90 if it’s paid quickly,” the officer added.
Spicer said his daughter burst into tears, repeatedly asking: “Have I done a bad thing?” She then cried all the way home when the enforcement officers had finished dealing with her.
When her father later proposed that they could get a permit and run the stand again, his daughter replied, “No. It’s too scary.”
“Common sense”
Tower Hamlets Council has since cancelled the fine and apologised.
“We are very sorry that this has happened. We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen,” the council said in a statement to TheJournal.ie.
“The fine will be cancelled immediately and we have contacted Mr Spicer and his daughter to apologise.”
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