Two secondary schools could soon boast new artificial grass football pitches and floodlighting after the council agreed to help with funding.

Barking Abbey, in Barking, and Robert Clack, in Dagenham, were successful in securing bids totalling £850,000 from charity The Football Foundation.

The money will go towards funding new artificial grass football pitches as well as associated equipment, such as floodlighting.

But the schools need to find just under £300,000 to make the project possible.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday councillors agreed that the authority would contribute around 50 per cent of the remaining costs.

A report put before cabinet members said: “The project will provide the schools with a unique opportunity to create high quality sports facilities that would otherwise be unaffordable, radically improving current provision and enhancing opportunities for students and the wider community to participate in sporting activities.”

If the scheme goes ahead it must be completed by the end of May next year.