More than 5000 homes in Veliko Turnovo had been left without central heating on January 6, Bulgarian news agency BTA said.

The pipelines of the central heating system broke under the temperature difference of the minus 20 degrees outside and the 90 degrees of the water transported through the pipes, BTA quoted managing director Milcho Mihailov of Toplofikatsiya in Veliko Turnovo as saying.

The damage had been repaired during the night and on the morning of January 7 heating would be gradually restored, Mihailov said.

Heating was expected to be fully restored by noon on January 7.