A COUPLE whose three young children were seized by officials before Christmas have spoken publicly of their ordeal.

Distraught Edward and Andrea Donnelly, of Burry Port, who we have previously not identified for legal reasons, have gone public in a bid to win a public inquiry into the way they were treated.

They claim Carmarthenshire Council has not taken proper account of the fact that their eight-year-old son, Kyle, suffers from autism.

He and his two siblings were taken into care on November 19 following an investigation which subsequently cleared Mrs Donnelly of inflicting a scratch on Kyle's face.

The two younger children were allowed home after a couple of weeks and the family were reunited with Kyle on Christmas Eve.

Edward Donnelly, aged 45, said: "It's hurt our feelings. They came in and devastated the family.

"We want to put that back together and get the help that Kyle needs. They have diagnosed him with autism, so give us the help we want for him."

His 41-year-old wife wants a public inquiry "to clear the family and compel the council to get its act together".

"We just want to be a family and for people to understand autism," she said. "I don't want to be fobbed off. We want them to say, yes, we made a mistake, we are going to help you get the family back together again."

Police and social services have said they acted in the interests of the children, but the distraught parents claimed they were being "hounded" by social services after going to them for help.

"They are lovely children," said Mrs Donnelly. "I love my kids, they are everything to us. Those few weeks that they were away I just felt empty.

"Our lives were torn apart. My house was empty. I just cried."

The council says it has been supporting the family "for some time", but the couple maintain they have not been given the help they need to look after their son.

Mrs Donnelly, of Springfield Terrace, said: "They haven't helped us one bit. It's my son they have got to help.

"We have said to them come in and see us as a family. Social services have always been welcome in my house."

The couple want to become involved in setting up a support group for parents of people with autism.

Mr Donnelly, a former Irish traveller who settled in Burry Port just over three years ago, said: "Kyle has autism, he suffers from epileptic fits and he has a violent disorder.

"All we want is understanding of his condition.

"If we set a group up, we could all help each other as we understand there are quite a few children with autism in the Llanelli area."

A Carmarthenshire Council spokesman said: "We have been supporting the family for some time and a support package remains in place that is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure it meets their needs appropriately."

shaun.greaney@swwmedia.co.uk