A Muslim whose son has been taken into care by a council in rural Wales has criticised social services staff for not placing the youngster with Islamic foster carers.

The man told a family court judge that his son's religious and cultural heritage could only "properly be safeguarded" if the youngster lived with Muslims.

And he asked Judge Gareth Jones to order the council to make "other arrangements" for the boy's upbringing.

But Judge Jones has backed decisions made by social services bosses, pointing out: "This particular local authority area in rural Wales, bearing in mind demographic break-down of the population, is unlikely to provide a supply of Islamic foster carers."

Judge Jones said the foster carers were non-Muslim - but he said they were "particularly attuned" to the boy's religious and cultural heritage.

Detail of the case has emerged in a ruling by Judge Jones following a family court hearing in a Welsh town.

The judge said the youngster could not be identified.

He did not say where the boy was living and did not name the council involved.

Judge Jones, who did not give detail of the reasons for the boy being taken into care, said the council had not breached legislation relating to the religious upbringing of children.