Only women with symptoms need to have their breast implants removed, says government

The government is playing down the need for women who have breast implants made by a discredited French company to have them removed, in an attempt to lessen continuing fears about their safety.

The Department of Health for England has issued fresh advice and paid around £135 000 (€160 000; $210 000) for a public advertising campaign to try to clarify the issue.

Around 40 000 women in the United Kingdom are thought to have the implants made by the French company Poly Implant Prosthèse (PIP), which closed after it emerged that it had used non-medical grade silicone.

The UK government commissioned an expert review, which last month concluded that women with the implants should not have them removed automatically but could seek clinical advice. If they …