Reducing Isle of Wight storm sewage discharges to a level deemed satisfactory by government is a "long way out" and is "going to take a lot of time", Southern Water has admitted, as it urged Islanders to be patient.

Speaking at an event in Newport, Katy Taylor, chief customer officer for the utility firm, told the County Press she is confident targets can be reached.

However, she said it would be "challenging" to eradicate spillages altogether and said customer bills were likely to increase as it invests in its Island infrastructure.

Southern Water has been meeting customers in Ryde and Newport, as part of a two-day stakeholder engagement meeting.

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How storm overflows are tackled was top of the agenda, given the high number of releases recorded off the Island in recent months.

Ms Taylor said there are a few reasons why figures are so high, including "unacceptable" infrastructure which is not up to the standards required today.

She said: "The reality is most of the Island has combined sewers, that's how the system is set up. That's where the sewage from your home is mixed into the sewer network with all the runoff.

"So whenever it rains, that rain has got to go somewhere. And obviously as the Island has become more populated and people have paved over drives and there's new housing developments, that's taken up that space where water would've otherwise gone into the ground."

In Gurnard, she said, infrastructure has been there for decades and can no longer meet demand.

How to check bathing water quality

Islanders can check Southern Water's Beachbuoy map here.

Among the initiatives the company is rolling out there is its free water butt scheme, which aims to stop rainwater run off from roofs going into the sewer system.

Sandown has also been selected as one of six locations for the company's Pathfinder project.

Government targets mean the company has to ensure storm overflows have no more than ten spills on average, per year, by 2050.

"Some of this is going to take a long time", Ms Taylor said.

"We're definitely working towards what can we do now to reduce the really heavy spillers. Let's try and hit those ones first."

Southern Water said to meet the cost of investment, there will eventually have to be a rise in customer bills.

When asked why it has to increase prices given the business was making a profit, Ms Taylor said: "All of our profits are reinvested in the business. Not a single penny has left the company in seven years.

"If customer bills don't go up we will not be able to invest in the infrastructure."

For Islanders wanting to go for a swim off the coast, she is urging them to use the firm's Beachbuoy app to help make "informed choices".