The London Dungeon has come under fire after posting a string of misogynistic ‘Valentine’s Day’ memes on social media.

The famous central London tourist attraction shared a post on its official Facebook feed making light of the murder of sex workers, asking: “What’s the difference between your job and a dead prostitute?”

The punchline? “Your job still sucks.”

Another post referenced the notorious Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper, who is thought to have predominantly murdered female sex workers, saying: “Jack the Ripper just messaged. He wants to Netflix and kill.”

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Alongside the message, the Dungeon’s social media team tweeted: “Oh that Jack the Ripper… What’s he like!”

The venue eventually deleted the offensive posts after experiencing a fierce backlash on social media, replacing them with one reading: “We’re sorry”.

“We recognise that we’ve upset some people and for that we’re very sorry,” it added.

However, many Facebook users were quick to note that the apology seemed rather half-hearted – and a little too late.

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“Ah, the old ‘sorry you were offended’ non-apology,” commented Jo Bromilow. “Classic.”

Charlie Davies wrote: “Whoever runs your social media (late 2016-Feb 2017) is really, horrendously bad at their job. Posting LADBible-style misogynistic shit about calling women fat and ugly and joking about prostitutes and killing women.

“You are by all accounts supposed to be a family attraction,” she continued. “Whoever works on your social media seems to think that you can attract likes and shares from 20something males when all you’re doing is alienating the school and family groups that keep your doors open.”

A spokesman for the London Dungeon told the Evening Standard: “We apologise that our social posts caused offence. 

“Our ‘Dark Valentine’ campaign was a range of posts aimed to highlight the darker side of history and create debate and conversation. As a brand we strive to entertain our guests so they can enjoy the London Dungeon experience – both in our attraction and on social media. 

“However on this occasion we recognise that some of the topics many felt were inappropriate and therefore we apologise for any offence cause.”

So that’s alright, then!

Images: London Dungeon, Rex Features