SEVERAL hundred women in Gloucestershire may have had PIP implants put in outside the county.

That is an estimate from consultant breast surgeon Charlie Chan, who says the women may have had the surgery carried out by cosmetic clinics elsewhere.

The surgeon, who works for the NHS and private clinic the Nuffield in Cheltenham, said his team had received calls from concerned women.

Around 40,000 British women have received PIP implants manufactured by the now closed French company Poly Implant Prostheses.

The implants were filled with non-medical grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.

Mr Chan said: "We have received dozens of phone calls, both at the local NHS trust and Nuffield hospitals, from women worried about their implants. Local GPs have also contacted me about this problem.

"Fortunately, we can confirm that PIP implants have never been used on women who have had operations at the local NHS trust hospitals and the Cheltenham Nuffield.

"However, we estimate that several hundred women living in the county may have had PIP implants inserted outside the county by cosmetic clinics.

"Some of these clinics have local offices. We would suggest that these women contact their original clinics or surgeons for advice and information.

"We would hope that the original clinics or surgeons would provide every assistance to these extremely concerned women, as part of their duty of continuing care."

He added that if the women needed further tests, he hoped the original clinics or surgeons would help fund or arrange them, and that MRI scans, such as those carried out at the Cobalt Unit, were best.

He added: "This scandal has caused an immense amount of distress to many women and we hope that cosmetic clinics and their surgeons will help relieve their concerns at this very difficult time."

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "To the best of our knowledge, the trust is confident that PIP breast implants have not been used on any of our patients.

"We keep careful records of the type of implant used in every procedure. The trust is watching the matter closely and will continue to take advice from major bodies and the Department of Health."

In an announcement on Friday, the Government said anxious patients who had their surgery on the NHS would be able to have the implants replaced free of charge.

Experts could not entirely rule out that some implants were toxic.

Medical charity Cobalt offers MRI scans for £218. Women can get a referral from their GP.