1722 emergency line opened as storms are coming

After the hot and humid weather, storms are on their way, with three Walloon provinces already placed on storm alert.

The interior ministry has activated the weather-related emergency number 1722, which can be used to contact the fire brigade for non-urgent matters relating to storm damage, such as flooded cellars.

The service aims to relieve the pressure on emergency number 112, which should only be used "if your life is really in danger", the interior ministry said.

Hainaut, Namur and Liège provinces were placed on storm alert on Wednesday. The Royal Meteorological Institute is forecasting storms across most of the country on Thursday evening, with further downpours expected in Brussels early on Saturday.

Wallonia's bottled water plants - at Spa and Chaudfontaine - have been working flat out this week, with staff reinforcements brought in to handle demand. The two producers have seen a 30-40% increase in sales, shipping 20 million litres of mineral water between them in the past week.