diff --git a/ckan/controllers/user.py b/ckan/controllers/user.py
index 2e764230834..a1160c18f0a 100644
--- a/ckan/controllers/user.py
+++ b/ckan/controllers/user.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import logging
 from urllib import quote
-from urlparse import urlparse
 
 from pylons import config
 
@@ -356,7 +355,7 @@ def login(self, error=None):
     def logged_in(self):
         # redirect if needed
         came_from = request.params.get('came_from', '')
-        if self._sane_came_from(came_from):
+        if h.url_is_local(came_from):
             return h.redirect_to(str(came_from))
 
         if c.user:
@@ -392,7 +391,7 @@ def logout(self):
     def logged_out(self):
         # redirect if needed
         came_from = request.params.get('came_from', '')
-        if self._sane_came_from(came_from):
+        if h.url_is_local(came_from):
             return h.redirect_to(str(came_from))
         h.redirect_to(controller='user', action='logged_out_page')
 
@@ -689,14 +688,3 @@ def unfollow(self, id):
                              or e.error_dict)
             h.flash_error(error_message)
         h.redirect_to(controller='user', action='read', id=id)
-
-    def _sane_came_from(self, url):
-        '''Returns True if came_from is local'''
-        if not url or (len(url) >= 2 and url.startswith('//')):
-            return False
-        parsed = urlparse(url)
-        if parsed.scheme:
-            domain = urlparse(h.url_for('/', qualified=True)).netloc
-            if domain != parsed.netloc:
-                return False
-        return True
diff --git a/ckan/lib/helpers.py b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
index b83499de3b7..f5e44bca0f0 100644
--- a/ckan/lib/helpers.py
+++ b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 import urllib
 import pprint
 import copy
+import urlparse
 from urllib import urlencode
 
 from paste.deploy.converters import asbool
@@ -227,6 +228,18 @@ def _add_i18n_to_url(url_to_amend, **kw):
     return url
 
 
+def url_is_local(url):
+    '''Returns True if url is local'''
+    if not url or (len(url) >= 2 and url.startswith('//')):
+        return False
+    parsed = urlparse.urlparse(url)
+    if parsed.scheme:
+        domain = urlparse.urlparse(url_for('/', qualified=True)).netloc
+        if domain != parsed.netloc:
+            return False
+    return True
+
+
 def full_current_url():
     ''' Returns the fully qualified current url (eg http://...) useful
     for sharing etc '''