GAZETTE & HERALD: CHILDREN taken away from their parents by Wiltshire Social Services just days before Christmas are still in care this week.

The children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were put into separate foster families.

Although it was hoped they would be returned to their parents this month, Social Services has applied for a full court order to keep them in care.

This week their grandparents said they would continue to fight through the court for the right to see their grandchildren. The distraught grandfather also said the cost to taxpayers, to fund both the court case and housing for the children, was ridiculous.

He said: "We are being forced to go through the legal system and we have got a solicitor and a barrister who are fighting so we are able to see the children.

"Because we are both disabled and don't have money we have to rely on the Legal Aid and that's just costing even more money."

Since the children were taken from their home on December 15, they have only been allowed home for three days over Christmas.

"The children went there for the couple of days over Christmas then they were taken to foster parents," he said.

"The children are still with their various foster parents and at an expense for the county at what must be a couple of thousand pounds a week."

The children were taken away from their parents two days early after the family approached the Gazette with their story.