The concessionaires to clear the snow in Sofia did not fulfil their contractual obligations. On the night between January 1 and 2, not 250 but only 40 snow-ploughs were at work, Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov told Darik radio.

Borissov set a deadline until the morning of January 3 to have the snow in Sofia cleared, otherwise court-action would be taken against the concessionaires and they would not be paid for their snow-clearing services, Dnevnik daily quoted Borissov as saying.

Borissov said that citizens have the obligation to clean the sidewalk in front of their houses and blocks.

"I just had a meeting with the concessionaires and have sent them to show me the routes of every single truck. I have told them that they will not get a single stotinka if they fail to do so. Until 6.50am I have personally done checks, and if by tomorrow morning, the city is not in good shape, we will meet the concessionaires in court. I've been up all night, I've talked with many taxi drivers this morning and I am thankful for their warnings. The only thing I could have done more was to get on a truck and start clearing the snow myself," Dnevnik quoted Borissov as saying.