Commuters left gagging over London Tube station’s pungent new smell

Commuters in London have been left feeling ‘nauseous’ while getting the Tube – and not because of that viral video.

A new Magnum ice cream advert has popped up in a tunnel linking St Pancras International and King’s Cross Underground station, and it’s got a very unique feature, one that people are finding a bit much.

As part of the campaign for the brand’s new Milk Chocolate and Cherry Bon Bons, a pungent chocolate scent is being pumped into the air, and apparently, the smell is wafting so far it’s reaching the platforms and escalators too.

Londoners have taken to social media to complain, with a Reddit user known as u/LucyLottie saying: ‘The scent is far too strong and makes me feel a bit nauseous rather than making me fancy a Magnum.’

@sofiesutton

I’m deadly serious the smell at King’s Cross walking the tube from St Pancras is out of control? What the fuck is it? Is it the Magnum ice cream ad ??

♬ son original – out of context hannah montana

While @kt.undercover on TikTok shared: ‘Omg I have to walk through this every day on my way to and from work, and it’s killing me off. It makes me want to scream. Who thought this was a good idea?’

Similarly,  u/deafened_commuter wasn’t keen, writing: ‘I already find the Tube overwhelming on a sensory level, I really don’t want more of my senses being attacked.’

An anonymous commuter told the BBC there was one major issue with the ad campaign: it didn’t account for other gag-worthy smells that might be lingering in the tunnel.

They said: ‘The combination of the smell of urine and the chocolate isn’t doing it for me.’

Others have compared the smell to ‘chocolate-scented bubble bath’, said it was ‘out of control’, and ‘not really appetising at all’.

But it’s not just commuters who aren’t enjoying the smell; Transport for London (TfL) staff working at the station are also struggling with it.

A TfL employee told The Times the smell has infiltrated their break room, and fellow workers have complained to the management at St Pancras Station. 

‘We’ve had loads of complaints to us,’ they admitted.

A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company said the campaign is intended to be ‘engaging and enjoyable’.

‘The Magnum activation at King’s Cross St Pancras recreates the multi-sensory pleasure of enjoying a Magnum through sight, sound, and scent, and is designed to bring a moment of enjoyment for commuters,’ they explained.

‘Since the campaign began on March 9, we have received mostly positive feedback from commuters onsite and will continue to optimise the campaign, which is scheduled to run until 22 March based on consumer feedback.’

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