Rising sea levels could turn the Isle of Wight into the "Isles" of Wight by the end of the century, a new report has revealed.

The sea is rising by six millimetres a year in the Solent, and to make problems worse, the Island itself is sinking.

The bleak scenario for the Island is outlined in a £50,000 report by leading environmental consultants Halcrow for the Standing Conference on Problems Associated with the Coastline (Scopac).

Called Preparing for the Impacts of Climate Change, the report states: "Unlike other parts of the UK, where land is rising, the Isle of Wight is sinking

"Rising sea levels, together with increasing numbers of storm events, could lead to the removal of beaches, major flooding, and the loss of low-lying environmentally-sensitive areas."

A stark representation of how the Island may look in 2080 was included in the report.

Split into the "Isles" of Wight, it shows the invasion of sea severing sections of land near Freshwater Bay and Yaverland.

The report said this was the worst case scenario, if sea defences were not maintained.

Even if coastal protection works were kept up to scratch it is still predicted low-lying areas would be permanently flooded, although no areas would be split off.

Established in 1986, Scopac is a regional coastal group of 29 local authorities and other organisations with an interest in coastal defence along the south coast.

In its report, climate changes predicted for up to 2080, include: a 23 per cent rise in winter rainfall, and a 20 per cent reduction in summer rain; global temperature increases up to 4.7 degrees C; and a rise in extreme sea levels.

The report highlights the Isle of Wight's Undercliff as being one of the areas where climate change may trigger the reactivation of "relic landslides", due to factors including elevated groundwater levels.

The Island council's coastal manager, Robin McInnes, who is chairman of the Scopac officers' working group, said the report provided a checklist for local authorities on what they should be doing to prepare for climate change.