THEY'RE as much a part of the British seaside holiday as sticks of rock and sandcastles. Saucy postcards - you either love 'em or hate 'em.

Depending on your point of view, they are either sexist relics best consigned to history or good old-fashioned fun.

Big-busted girls, weedy little men and ferocious mothers-in-law have all played their stereotypical part in what, over the years, has become a peculiarly British institution.

But they have survived the criticism of the PC brigade and now look set to overcome their biggest hurdle yet - the economic climate.

Bamforths, the most famous name in cheeky postcards, shut its factory in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, in the 1980s but the name was quickly snapped up by ETW Dennis of Scarborough, long-established maker of more up-market cards.

However, the receivers have been called in to its factory on the North Yorkshire coast and it is expected to be closed in two weeks' time.

About 70 of the workforce have already left the company and the remaining 20 or so staff are facing redundancy.

Lovers of risqu seaside sauce need not be too alarmed though - as despite the setback the future could still be bright for the Bamforths' subsidiary.

Receivers RSM Robson Rhodes of Leeds are sure they will find a buyer for the name and potential purchasers are already circling.

"Bamforth's is a shell company and not in receivership. There is no staff, no print works, just a company name on a shelf at Dennis's who have printed the cards since they took over," said Charles Escott of Robson Rhodes.

"But it is one of Dennis's assets and we have had a lot of interest. We're quite confident it will be sold."

Whoever buys the name will get the rights to all the Bamforths images, which are still under copyright.

The future of ETW Dennis as a whole, though, is not so promising and no offers have been forthcoming for the company, which has debts of about £1m.

It's closure would be the end of an era as Dennis's traces its roots back 130 years to Queen Victoria's reign. She would probably not have been amused.