THREE women whose breast implants have ruptured will be able to have them removed and replaced free of charge by surgeons at Grimsby's private hospital.

The women are among 42 who had the controversial implants, which contain industrial-grade silicon intended for use in mattresses, fitted at St Hugh's Hospital, in Peaks Lane.

As reported, the women have faced an uncertain few months after it was revealed that the implants could be toxic and at a high risk of rupturing.

While the NHS recommended that private hospitals that used the implants offer to remove them for free, St Hugh's was in a unique position because it was a separate company operating out of its premises that carried out the surgery.

The Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) implants were used by The Cosmetic Surgery Centre Ltd, which rented out space at St Hugh's between 2005 and 2008.

Hospital bosses pledged to carry out free consultations with the 42 women – and they have now revealed that at least three will have their implants removed and replaced for free.

Donna Read, director of the hospital, said: "We have had a number of extra clinics which have allowed us to see all but one of the women concerned.

"A decision has been made that three women who were found to have ruptured implants when they were examined will have them removed and replaced free of charge. Those who have the implants but have no immediate problems are being offered free MRI scans to check for any leaks.

"Then it is a case of waiting for the results to determine our next course of action."

While it is positive news for the three women in question, others say the announcement has left them confused.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "We're in the position now where we are all hoping that our implants have ruptured so that we can have them removed and replaced for free, too, which isn't right.

"Even if our implants are OK at the moment, I feel that the hospital still has a duty of care to make sure that they are safely replaced.

"I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens after my MRI scan."

A second woman, who also did not want to be named, said: "I'm hoping and praying that mine are ruptured so I can get them replaced. It's reassuring they're offering free treatment for those three women, but I think they should be offering the same thing to all of us."

The announcement comes as the former senior executive of the French company behind the implants, Jean-Claude Mas, 72, and another former director, Claude Couty, were arrested at their homes.

Both face charges of manslaughter and fraud in relation to the faulty implants which were manufactured by PIP.