diff --git a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCache.cc b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCache.cc
index 7765f743ab0..09d092ec5aa 100644
--- a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCache.cc
+++ b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCache.cc
@@ -136,7 +136,10 @@ void Cache::RemoveWriteQEntriesFor(File *iFile)
    {
       if ((*i)->m_file == iFile)
       {
+
+          XrdCl::DefaultEnv::GetLog()->Dump(XrdCl::AppMsg, "Cache::Remove entries for %p path %s", (void*)(*i), iFile->lPath());
          std::list<Block*>::iterator j = i++;
+          iFile->BlockRemovedFromWriteQ(*j);
          s_writeQ.queue.erase(j);
          --s_writeQ.size;
       }
@@ -162,6 +165,7 @@ Cache::ProcessWriteTasks()
       Block* block = s_writeQ.queue.front(); // AMT should not be back ???
       s_writeQ.queue.pop_front();
       s_writeQ.size--;
+      XrdCl::DefaultEnv::GetLog()->Dump(XrdCl::AppMsg, "Cache::ProcessWriteTasks  for %p path %s", (void*)(block), block->m_file->lPath());
       s_writeQ.condVar.UnLock();
 
       block->m_file->WriteBlockToDisk(block);
diff --git a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.cc b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.cc
index a5bc4120e49..223526b3eab 100644
--- a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.cc
+++ b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.cc
@@ -96,6 +96,13 @@ m_prefetchCurrentCnt(0)
    }
 }
 
+void File::BlockRemovedFromWriteQ(Block* b)
+{
+ m_downloadCond.Lock();
+ dec_ref_count(b);
+ clLog()->Dump(XrdCl::AppMsg, "File::BlockRemovedFromWriteQ() check write queues %p %d...%s", (void*)b, b->m_offset/m_cfi.GetBufferSize(), lPath());
+ m_downloadCond.UnLock();
+}
 
 File::~File()
 {
@@ -122,13 +129,9 @@ File::~File()
       {
          m_downloadCond.Lock();
          // remove failed blocks
-         //for (BlockMap_i it = m_block_map.begin(); it != m_block_map.end();) {
-         
          BlockMap_i itr = m_block_map.begin();
          while (itr != m_block_map.end()) {
-            bool dropWqOrError = itr->second->is_finished() && itr->second->m_refcnt == 1; // refcounf more than 1 if used by Read()
-            bool prefetchWCancel = itr->second->m_prefetch && itr->second->m_refcnt == 0 && itr->second->m_downloaded;
-            if (dropWqOrError || prefetchWCancel) {
+            if (itr->second->is_failed() && itr->second->m_refcnt == 1) {
                BlockMap_i toErase = itr;
                ++itr;
                free_block(toErase->second);
@@ -824,6 +827,11 @@ void File::ProcessBlockResponse(Block* b, XrdCl::XRootDStatus *status)
         inc_ref_count(b);
         cache()->AddWriteTask(b, true);
       }
+      else {
+          // there is no refcount +/- to remove dropped prefetched blocks on destruction
+          if (b->m_prefetch && (b->m_refcnt == 0))
+              free_block(b);
+      }
    }
    else
    {
diff --git a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.hh b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.hh
index 4ab4f91af0a..58cd0626e48 100644
--- a/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.hh
+++ b/src/XrdFileCache/XrdFileCacheFile.hh
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ namespace XrdFileCache
       //------------------------------------------------------------------------
       ~File();
 
+       void BlockRemovedFromWriteQ(Block*);
       //! Open file handle for data file and info file on local disk.
       bool Open();
 
@@ -175,6 +176,10 @@ namespace XrdFileCache
 
       void  MarkPrefetch();
 
+
+
+      //! Log path
+      const char* lPath() const;
    private:
       Block* RequestBlock(int i, bool prefetch);
 
@@ -196,9 +201,6 @@ namespace XrdFileCache
       XrdCl::Log* clLog() const { return XrdCl::DefaultEnv::GetLog(); }
 
 
-      //! Log path
-      const char* lPath() const;
-
       void inc_ref_count(Block*);
       void dec_ref_count(Block*);
       void free_block(Block*);