Concern over 'migrant children'

A Berkshire town has been struggling to cope with nearly 90 children who have arrived unaccompanied from Eastern Europe.

The children, one as young as 10, have apparently paid someone in Romania to send them to Slough.

Slough Borough Council said it was puzzled as to why the children were going there, but it has set up a special team to support them.

It has called for more government help to offset the strain on other services.

Family members

The authority has revealed that since 1 January, when Romania joined the European Union, 88 Romanian Roma children have arrived asking for help.

The children usually arrive in groups of three, but six have had babies of their own and seven have been pregnant.

The local authority has set up an emergency Roma assessment team and spent £150,000 on housing and keeping the children.

It is currently supporting 53 children while others have been sent to live with family members who have been located in other parts of the UK.

The council said more money is needed from the government to help them with migrants otherwise other services could be cut.