A missing baby from Harrow whose whereabouts in Spain were subject of a public appeal for information has been brought safely back to Britain.

Farah Afzal was taken to Barcelona by her parents Zainab Rasul, 30, and Mohammed Afzal, 38, in the middle of the night in mid-January. She is at the centre of High Court proceedings.

Council leader Susan Hall (Conservative) had appealed to Barcelona FC fans arriving in Britain on February 18 for their team's Champions League's match against Manchester City FC that evening to keep an eye out for the missing trio when they returned home to the Catalan capital.

Mohammed Afzal, 38, took his four-month-old baby Farah from their home in Rayners Lane to Barcelona with wife Zainab Rasul
Zainab Rasul, 30, took her four-month-old baby Farah from their home in Rayners Lane to Barcelona with husband Mohammed Afzal

Spanish police actually discovered Farah and her parents in Barcelona four days later although the news has only come to light now the family are all back in the UK and the High Court approved publicity of the development.

Ms Hall said: "This is obviously the conclusion we all wanted after an anxious search across Barcelona. Harrow Council officers took early and swift action to protect the welfare of this baby and laid the ground with Spanish officials for her to be returned quickly to the UK once found. The British consul, Spanish police and the judge in the case all helped hugely in getting this child home."

This episode sends a strong message to families who believe that fleeing to Spain or anywhere instead of talking to the local authority will put an end to their troubles."

The best outcome is always to sit down and talk to the local authority sensibly and responsibly - that means we can avoid the kind of trauma and upset we have just witnessed here."