There is no evidence that British women with silicone breast implants made by a French company should have them removed, a UK watchdog has said.

French authorities are expected later this week to ask 30,000 women who received a specific type of implant to have them taken out.

But the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there is no evidence to support removal of the implants, manufactured by Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP).

Some 50,000 British women are thought to have had the implants, which have been linked to the death of a French woman from a rare form of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

The implants are filled with an unapproved gel and there have been reports the protective barriers are faulty.

PIP has since closed and more than 2,000 women have filed legal complaints.

The MHRA said it was aware of the death in France but its own testing last year revealed no evidence of a link with cancer.

It said it had received no reports of ALCL linked with breast implants in the UK, adding: "Discussions with the relevant UK professional bodies have not identified any cases."

The MHRA said results from its own testing "confirmed that there was no evidence of genotoxicity (potential for cancer) or chemical toxicity of the filler material inside these implants."

And it said there was no evidence to support women having the implants removed.