A five-year-old girl from a Christian was left 'very distressed' after she was fostered to two Muslim families, encouraged to learn Arabic and had her Christian cross taken away.

After the two placement by Tower Hamlets council in east London, the girl returned home where she told her birth mother that Christmas and Easter are 'stupid' and European women are alcoholics, according to a report in The Times.

And she refused to eat what had been her favourite meal spaghetti carbonara, because it contained bacon. 

According to The Times, the child sobbed and begged not to have to go back to her foster home, where her present carer wears a burqa, covering her face entirely, outside the home.

She told her social worker: 'They don't speak English.' Her own family had opposed the placements.

Local authorities are obliged in law to give 'due consideration to a child's religion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background' when they go into care.

A friend told the newspaper: 'This is a five-year-old white girl. She was born in this country, speaks English as her first language, loves football, holds a British passport and was christened in a church.

'She's already suffered the huge trauma of being forcibly separated from her family. She needs surroundings in which she'll feel secure. Instead, she's trapped in a world where everything feels foreign and unfamiliar. That's really scary for a young child.'

In April this year, an Ofsted inspection at Tower Hamlets council found 'widespread and serious failures in the services provided to children who need help and protection'

The Department for Education said: 'When placing a child in a foster home, the local authority must ensure that the placement is the most appropriate way to support [the child's] welfare. A child's background is an important consideration in this decision.'

A council spokesman said: 'We are unable to comment on individual cases. In every case, we give absolute consideration to our children's background and to their cultural identity. All our foster carers receive training to ensure they are fully qualified to meet the needs of children in their care.'