MANY residents in Barnet face an inflation-busting increase in next year’s water bill.

Veolia water, which supplies areas including Barnet, Edgware and Finchley, has announced a 5.9 per cent increase in its bills for the next financial year.

It means the average bill will be £169.07, up from £159.65, which equates to 47p per day for drinking water.

The company says it is to help with its programme of pipe renewal across the area, which is costing £365m over five years.

Customer relations director, Vincent Muldoon, said: “Nobody likes price rises especially in the current economic climate.

“That is why we have worked very hard to keep customers’ bills affordable, while at the same time ensuring that we can maintain the very high levels of service they have come to expect from Veolia Water.

“For less than 50p a day, on average, our customers will continue to receive all the high quality drinking water they could need. This is fantastic value.”