VISIT IW has made a statement about a court appearance scheduled for tomorrow, of its former finance officer.

As reported by the IW County Press earlier today, Joanne Thornton, 55, of Heath Lane, Freshwater, is due to appear before Island magistrates tomorrow (Tuesday) on charges of fraud and theft totalling £33,874.

This afternoon, Will Myles, managing director of Visit IW, said: "I can confirm that following an internal audit earlier this year, some financial irregularities came to light which were referred to the police.

"This has resulted in a police investigation, and a file has now been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

"I would like to assure WightBID levy payers that their BID contributions were unaffected and this money has been used in full to deliver the agreed WightBID plan.

"The team at Visit IW is now working hard on preparing exciting marketing campaigns and other BID initiatives for the 2019 season.

"As this is now a continuing investigation and a potential court case, I'm unable to comment any further at this stage."