IN terms of sauciness the Bamforth postcards had it all - racy images and cheeky innuendos.

However, when Scarborough card making factory ETW Dennis went into receivership last September, it looked like they might be consigned to the history books.

Now their place in the 21st century has been secured, with a rescue deal by Leeds businessman Ian Wallace.

The 53-year-old has snapped up the rights to the seaside postcards for an undisclosed sum, and he is now hoping to immortalise images of big girls and henpecked husbands on merchandise ranging from computer mouse mats to t-shirts.

"We just didn't want all these wonderful images to be lost," said Mr Wallace, who also owns The Beatles Shop, in Liverpool.

"We're hoping to carry on the tradition and bring this into the 21st Century.

"We want to get a number of the classics out into the shops, especially at the seaside, and there are so many products that we can use the images on."

The postcards were produced from Bamforth's factory in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, until the 1980s when the name, created in 1910, was bought by ETW Dennis.

Now Mr Wallace has the daunting task of cataloguing up to 100,000 designs - a job he does not mind one bit - before securing deals with postcard distributors.

"We're having the time of our lives just going through the stuff. We never stop laughing," he said.

"It's the humour of Carry On films and Benny Hill - they're just plain daft."

However, not everyone sees the images as a "bit of fun". Critics in the past have branded them sexist relics, best left in the past.

"OK some people think they're a bit sexist, but I think they're just fun," said Mr Wallace.

"Anyone who takes the images too seriously and doesn't laugh at them is a bit sad."

He is adamant that he can find a new audience willing to appreciate the cards' humour.

"I think there's a lot of young people who haven't seen this kind of stuff," he said.

"The images have been out of the public eye and hopefully they will come across as being fresh and fun."