Personal injury firms say they are receiving hundreds of enquiries every week from women treated with now banned PIP breast implants.

Up to 40,000 women in the UK have been fitted with implants made by French company Poly Implant Prothese. The Department of Health has offered to replace implants if the original operation was performed by the NHS, but private patients are still unclear what support to expect.

Mark Harvey, head of litigation at national firm Hugh James, said he would apply this month for a group litigation order on behalf of 250 claimants against ‘various’ private clinics.

Harvey said that he supported the government’s policy on replacements but added: ‘By only making a suggestion that the cosmetic industry should follow the example of the NHS, the government again leaves women vulnerable.’

Lucy Kirkham, head of clinical negligence at PI specialist Ashworth, said up to 70 calls a day were coming in, encouraged by social media. ‘We’re seeing information disseminated quick­ly on an unprecedented scale.’

Patient charity Action against Medical Accidents called for a mandatory indemnity insurance scheme to ensure people affected by faulty products have a route of redress if the manufacturer goes out of business.