Irish authorities say two blonde children taken from Roma families were later returned to them after tests confirmed their biological links.

A seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy were each removed from their families in Ireland this week following public tip-offs, sparking warnings about racial profiling following the case of a blonde girl found in a Roma camp in Greece who was unrelated to the people she was living with.

Police said on Wednesday the girl and boy were both returned to their Roma families in Ireland after "confirmation of their established biological identities". The media said both moves followed DNA testing.

Police said they take "extremely serious all reports received from members of the public concerning child welfare issues" and that its policy regarding "this sensitive and challenging area" was under constant review.

Roma communities in different countries are in the spotlight after the discovery last week of the girl in a Roma camp in Greece, known as Maria and dubbed the "blonde angel" by Greek media.