The Mayor of London has called on the Government to provide clarity as to how the capital would be able to cope with and enforce a local Covid-19 lockdown.

Sadiq Khan has penned a letter to health secretary Matt Hancock asking for "further information, detail and assurance" on local lockdown measures, the same day expects have warned more areas face possible restrictions.

His question comes as Leicester has been forced into a new local lockdown, yet the rest of England prepares for a loosening of rules from Saturday, July 4.

In the letter, Mr Khan said that in order to prevent further "loss of life on the scale we have already seen," local areas must be able to respond "quickly and dynamically" to outbreaks.

"Without further clarity on the powers and resources at London’s disposal to manage any ‘local lockdown’ or enhanced social distancing measures, we cannot deliver public confidence in the response that Londoners expect and deserve."

"Lockdown in an area would have an immediate impact on local businesses, the livelihoods of the people they employ, and anyone who would not be able to attend their place of work.

"A lack of public confidence in these issues could lead to non-compliance with local measures."

Mr Khan added: "As lockdown measures are eased, we must do all we can to prevent a second wave.

"Whilst we hope that the number of Covid-19 cases remains low, we must be prepared for the possibility of local outbreaks and spikes.

"To support a localised approach we need more information about the Government's plans for mobilising and delivering the response to local outbreaks.

Virus experts have warned there are other major cities, including Birmingham and Manchester, which could face local lockdown within the next six months.

Currently, 36 local authorities in England have experienced a spike in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks.

Data compiled by Public Health England (PHE) shows the London borough of Havering and the county of Wiltshire have seen the biggest week-on-week increases in confirmed Covid-19 infections (300 per cent).