City Fines 5-Year-Old $195 Over Lemonade Stand

A British man and his young daughter have gained international attention after being fined for selling lemonade outside. Andre Spicer says his 5-year-old daughter was left in tears after local council officers fined her $195 for selling lemonade without a license near their home in London, reports the AP. The girl had been selling home-made lemonade to fans attending the Lovebox festival for 30 minutes when four local council enforcement officers showed up, turned on a camera, and read Spicer and his daughter a legal statement that basically told them they were being fined over their lack of a trading permit.

Spicer wrote an article about the experience for the Telegraph that gathered hundreds of comments and shares online. A portion of it: "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. Americans would not stand for the spirit of free enterprise being throttled in someone so young. " Local officials said Friday the fine will be canceled immediately. "We are very sorry that this has happened," reads a council statement. "We expect our enforcement officers to show common sense, and to use their powers sensibly. This clearly did not happen." (More lemonade stand stories.)