diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStore.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStore.java
index 019b5f53d2..795968af57 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStore.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStore.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public class SimpleMessageStore extends AbstractMessageGroupStore implements Mes
 	public SimpleMessageStore() {
 		this(0);
 	}
-	
+
 	@ManagedAttribute
 	public int getMessageCount() {
 		return idToMessage.size();
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public class SimpleMessageStore extends AbstractMessageGroupStore implements Mes
 		else
 			return null;
 	}
-	
+
 	public MessageGroup getMessageGroup(Object groupId) {
 		Assert.notNull(groupId, "'groupId' must not be null");
 		SimpleMessageGroup group = groupIdToMessageGroup.get(groupId);
@@ -129,7 +129,10 @@ public class SimpleMessageStore extends AbstractMessageGroupStore implements Mes
 	}
 
 	public void removeMessageGroup(Object groupId) {
-		groupUpperBound.release();
+		if (!groupIdToMessageGroup.containsKey(groupId)) {
+			return;
+		}
+		groupUpperBound.release(groupIdToMessageGroup.get(groupId).size());
 		groupIdToMessageGroup.remove(groupId);
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/util/UpperBound.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/util/UpperBound.java
index eb637b4aa5..0cc23352b2 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/util/UpperBound.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/util/UpperBound.java
@@ -73,4 +73,14 @@ public final class UpperBound {
 		}
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Releases several locks on the underlying semaphore. This is typically not done by the same Thread
+	 * that acquired the lock, but by the thread that picked up the message.
+	 */
+	public void release(int permits) {
+		if (this.semaphore != null) {
+			this.semaphore.release(permits);
+		}
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStoreTests.java b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStoreTests.java
index aaea36c0f7..649367a482 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStoreTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/store/SimpleMessageStoreTests.java
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public class SimpleMessageStoreTests {
 		store.addMessage(testMessage1);
 		store.addMessage(testMessage2);
 	}
-	
+
 	@Test
 	public void shouldListByCorrelation() throws Exception {
 		SimpleMessageStore store = new SimpleMessageStore();
@@ -93,6 +93,18 @@ public class SimpleMessageStoreTests {
 		assertEquals(0, store.getMessageGroup("bar").size());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testRepeatedAddAndRemoveGroup() throws Exception {
+		SimpleMessageStore store = new SimpleMessageStore(10, 10);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+			store.addMessageToGroup("bar", MessageBuilder.withPayload("foo").build());
+			store.addMessageToGroup("bar", MessageBuilder.withPayload("foo").build());
+			store.removeMessageGroup("bar");
+			assertEquals(0, store.getMessageGroup("bar").size());
+			assertEquals(0, store.getMessageGroupCount());
+		}
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void shouldCopyMessageGroup() throws Exception {
 		SimpleMessageStore store = new SimpleMessageStore();
@@ -104,11 +116,11 @@ public class SimpleMessageStoreTests {
 	@Test
 	public void shouldRegisterCallbacks() throws Exception {
 		SimpleMessageStore store = new SimpleMessageStore();
-		store.setExpiryCallbacks(Arrays.<MessageGroupCallback>asList(new MessageGroupCallback() {
+		store.setExpiryCallbacks(Arrays.<MessageGroupCallback> asList(new MessageGroupCallback() {
 			public void execute(MessageGroupStore messageGroupStore, MessageGroup group) {
 			}
 		}));
-		assertEquals(1, ((Collection<?>)ReflectionTestUtils.getField(store, "expiryCallbacks")).size());
+		assertEquals(1, ((Collection<?>) ReflectionTestUtils.getField(store, "expiryCallbacks")).size());
 	}
 
 	@Test