After several months of delays, the sale of the Dartford-based company, which went into administration on 9 July, was due to be completed last week.

However, HMRC requested a bond before it would agree to a deal to sell the company to newly formed Crossways Envelopes, delaying the deal once more.

Administrator Colin Wilson said: "The issue has been resolved. They wanted details of what processes we have been through and what we were doing.

"It was more of an issue for us as the administrator than the company itself because it isn't uncommon for this request, it's just that usually it happens when a new company is registered – not four months down the line when a deal is about to be done."

Now, after more than three months, a sale to Crossways, set up by a management team from BED that has been running the company under licence, is close to being finalised.

Wilson added: "There is absolutely no reason this shouldn't go through. Our lawyers have said that everything is in line. We just need signatures."