Road conditions in many areas across the country are becoming dangerous because of sustained snowfall, Bulgarian National Television said on November 3 2009.

Traffic limitations have been imposed in the area around Smolyan and through mountain passes in Prevala, Rozhen and Pamporovo. The Bulgarian traffic police, KAT, said that all vehicles attempting to pass through must be fitted with chains.

The Road Infrastructure Agency said that drivers must use winter tyres and have their headlights on at all times. All roads around the country are wet, and should the temperature fall below zero, and they are expected to, they could become hazardous.

Snowfall has been reported in Sofia, Pazardjik, Vidin, Montana, Dupnitsa, Razlog, Kyustendil and other towns in the country. Snow cover currently stands at around 2cm in some places but at higher elevation it is more intense and the cover deeper.

Temperatures for most parts of Bulgaria stand at around zero degrees but meteorologists suggest that they will drop further overnight.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Sofia, Maria Boyadjiiska, told Dnevnik daily that cleaning firms entrusted to deal with the consequences of the snowfall are ready to be deployed around the city and tackle the situation.

"The companies have the kit; we know they do. Novera, for instance, have the necessary equipment. There are 111 machines that are available to be put in circulation, while 32 other vehicles are kitted out with the required gear and will soon augment the existing fleet," she said.

"We are expecting the delivery of 26 additional vehicles," Boyadjiiska told Dnevnik.

However, Titan Chistota, another cleaning company which is operational in eight boroughs in the capital, related that currently not a single vehicle is geared-up for such an operation.

"There are 15 machines that need to be kitted out, while 20 others are yet to be delivered," Titan manager Ivailo Dakovski told Dnevnik daily on November 3 2009.

Additionally, Ekobulsort, a cleaning company operating in four Sofia boroughs, has said that it has 19 vehicles ready for deployment, nine more are being fitted out, while four are expected to be delivered. In all, a total of 1150 cu m of sand and salt solutions have been prepared and accumulated, 7782 tons of nitrate-chloride and additional reserve of 830 cu m sand are available to be laid on the streets of the capital.