A NORTH-EAST firm selling specialist lingerie to women who have had breasts removed has won national recognition.

Amanda Lee, at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, is runner-up in the HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, which recognises a new generation of business people.

Lee Slyph, who founded the firm, accepted a trophy and a £5,000 cheque before an audience of more than 250 business leaders at London's Savoy Hotel.

During a work placement while a fashion student, she realised high street stores had almost no swimwear for women who had had breast surgery. The main sellers were mail order firms.

She put her findings into her final-year thesis, and after a year working for the Debenhams chain decided to launch her own shop last October after receiving prostheses training.

The business has gone from strength to strength following a marketing campaign and through word of mouth.