Residents hit by unexpected water failures earlier in the week may be entitled to compensation.

Many households in Barnet saw their water supply fail at Monday lunchtime (February 20) due to a fault at Arkley reservoir and it was not fixed fully until late the following day.

Under the government’s guaranteed standards scheme, every customer affected by unplanned water interruptions not fixed in 12 hours is entitled to £20 compensation.

The pay out may also be rewarded to anyone hit by a leak or burst at a strategic main which is not fixed in 48 hours and then £10 more for every following 24 hours.

READ MORE: Affinity Water continues work at Arkley reservoir as outages end but problems persist for Barnet

Barnet councillors have had confirmation from supplier Affinity Water who have promised to investigate and contact any customers eligible for compensation.

Cllr Alan Schneiderman, the Labour opposition’s environment spokesperson, has also asked any residents who feel they are entitled to get in touch with the company.

He said: “Accidents happen and I think Affinity Water have tried to fix this as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“But many residents and businesses will have been inconvenienced by this disruption to their water supply.

“People have been unable to cook, clean, drink water or even make a cup of tea or coffee.

“People pay a lot for their water services, and if they are entitled to compensation they should get it automatically.

“This incident serves as a reminder that emergency and accident planning needs to be taken seriously, and effective plans put in place.”

Affinity Water worked through the night to fix the fault at Arkley reservoir and bottled water was distributed to affected households from various bases around the borough.