Problems with the heating system mains led to the heating being stopping in the Lagera, Hiporouma, Boukata, Kriva Reka and Ivan Vazov neighbourhoods in Bulgaria's capital Sofia. The heating was stopping on December 3 at around 4.00pm, Toplofikatsiya Sofia said.

Also the complex of the Medical Academy was without heating, mediapool.bg said.

Toplofikatsiya said they had immediately started work to restore the damage, though they could not say when heating would be restored in the affected neighbourhoods. In late 2007, management of Toplofikatsiya Sofia repeated several times that the company was absolutely ready for the winter.

Petko Milevski, managing director of Toplofikatsiya Sofia, said that because of low payment-rate of clients, the company had economised on investments in renewal of pipes and repairs.