The founder of the French firm that produced the faulty breast implants at the centre of a global health scare has been arrested in the south of France.

Jean-Claude Mas, 72, head of Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) was taken into police custody just before 7am on Thursday morning after police arrived at the home of his partner in Six-Fours in the Var.

The house was being searched by investigators. A deputy chief executive was also arrested at his home.

Mas has given several interviews to French media about the scandal, and was not the subject of a manhunt by police, contrary to some previous reports.

PIP closed down in March 2010 after regulators discovered it was using a non-medical grade silicone in its implants.

In December, the French government advised 30,000 women to have substandard PIP implants removed following health officials' warnings they were more likely to rupture than other implants. Mas was defiant, admitting on French radio he had used homemade silicone gel to cut costs.

This gel was not approved for medical use and included a mix of agricultural and industrial grade silicone. Asked about the ingredients used, Mas said only "a chemical product can be used to make lots of things".

He had previously told investigators he had instructed company staff to hide the gel from inspectors.

PIP was once one of the world's largest producers of silicone implants, known for its "good value" and reasonable price, making over 100,000 implants a year and exporting 80%.

More than 40,000 women in the UK have had the implants fitted but, unlike the French government, the British Department of Health stressed there was no urgent clinical need for all women with the implants to have them removed.

No one has yet been charged in the case, but between four to six PIP managers are expected to face a Marseilles court within a year for fraud and deceptive business practices.

A separate investigation into possible involuntary homicide was opened last month following the 2010 cancer death of a French woman with PIP implants. Mas could face heavy fines and five years in prison.

Over 2,000 French women have filed legal complaints against PIP and their complaints will be investigated case by case.