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Two London boroughs have defied the government and given schools the option to close amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the capital.

Redbridge Council has said it will "support" local schools if they choose to move to online learning from Wednesday - despite the government threatening legal action and saying they must stay open.

Waltham Forest has also said it will back schools if they "make decisions that safeguard the health and safety of pupils, teachers and their families".

The two boroughs, both in the east of the city, have the second and fourth-highest COVID-19 infection rates in the capital - 443.9 per 100,000 and 409.4 per 100,000 respectively.

Redbridge Council leader Jas Athwal said: "It is not the role of the council to close schools, but today we want to be absolutely clear - we will support our local schools if they choose to move to online learning."

Meanwhile the leader of Waltham Forest Clare Coghill stood by the decision she made on Monday that schools could close.

She wrote in a statement late on Tuesday: "We are confident that schools in Waltham Forest have made their decisions on the basis of their own individual risk assessment and with pupil safety at their heart."

Councillor Coghill added that threats of legal action were "disappointing".

London currently has the highest rates of coronavirus in England and has moved to the toughest Tier 3 restrictions.

But after Greenwich and Islington councils said they were closing schools over COVID concerns, Education Secretary Gavin Williams intervened and said: "It is simply not in children's best interests for schools in Greenwich, Islington or elsewhere to close their doors."

Both authorities were forced to U-turn on their decisions, with Greenwich council leader Danny Thorpe saying they had "no choice" but to remain open as they "could not justify the use of public funds to fight the decision in the courts".

Poll: More than 70% of headteachers would defy government and shut schools

Islington Council urged schools to arrange an inset day on Thursday, with inset days already organised for Friday - effectively allowing pupils to finish for Christmas on Wednesday afternoon.

The recent sharp spike in cases in the capital and the rest of the South East is thought to be driven by 10 to 19-year-olds.

Worrying figures have led to major tensions between the government and school leaders, with a Sky News poll suggesting more than 70% of headteachers would be prepared to close their doors.

Of 461 school bosses who responded to the survey, 71% said they would shut and move to online teaching if necessary to protect staff and pupils, while 29% said they would not.

In this scenario, schools would still remain open for vulnerable children, the children of key workers and special educational needs (SEND) students.

A Department for Education spokesperson told Sky News in a statement: "It is a national priority to keep education settings open full time and it is vital that children remain in school until the end of the term."