A Roma family whose child was wrongly taken from them on Monday due to claims she was not related to her parents said gardaí have “very serious” questions to answer over the case.

The Roma family of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed schoolgirl removed from them by gardaí have supported calls for an independent investigation after tests proved she is their daughter.

Gardaí have released a statement saying they want to assure the public they take extremely serious all reports from the public concering child welfare.