THERE is no convincing medical data that suggests women who have intact PIP breast implants need to have them removed, a report into the scandal has concluded.

A report by European health officials has found there is currently no medical or toxicological evidence to justify removal of intact implants.

Almost 50,000 women in the UK and some 400,000 worldwide were affected by the scandal, which came to light after doctors found unexpectedly high numbers of women were suffering from ruptured implants.

There was uproar when it emerged that the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been making implants using industrial-grade silicone intended for use in mattresses.

Jean-Claude Mas, the founder of PIP, was jailed for four years last year for fraud at a court in France.

And now the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks has made its final report into the scandal.

It also found there was no reliable evidence that ruptured PIP implants create a greater health risk than ruptured silicone breast implants from another manufacturer.

The findings back a 2012 review by NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, which concluded the implants were neither toxic nor carcinogenic.

Commenting on the report, John Wilkinson, director of medical devices at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said: "We recognise that the criminal PIP episode has been very distressing for women who have had breast implants, and I hope this final European report provides some reassurance for them."