diff --git a/app/models/merge_request.rb b/app/models/merge_request.rb
index fed761a6..2aba24bc 100644
--- a/app/models/merge_request.rb
+++ b/app/models/merge_request.rb
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ class MergeRequest < ActiveRecord::Base
       self.merge!(current_user.id)
       true
     end
-  rescue 
+  rescue
     self.mark_as_unmergable
     false
   end
diff --git a/app/models/project/repository_trait.rb b/app/models/project/repository_trait.rb
index a759ead5..2b9cf437 100644
--- a/app/models/project/repository_trait.rb
+++ b/app/models/project/repository_trait.rb
@@ -114,5 +114,9 @@ module Project::RepositoryTrait
     def root_ref 
       default_branch || "master"
     end
+
+    def root_ref? branch
+      root_ref == branch
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/merge_requests/show.html.haml b/app/views/merge_requests/show.html.haml
index 9a804ee2..cfa74fc0 100644
--- a/app/views/merge_requests/show.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/merge_requests/show.html.haml
@@ -65,8 +65,9 @@
         = form_for [:automerge, @project, @merge_request], :remote => true, :method => :get do |f|
           You can accept this request automatically. If you still want to do it manually - #{link_to "click here", "#", :class => "how_to_merge_link vlink", :title => "How To Merge"} for instructions
           %br
-          = check_box_tag :should_remove_source_branch
-          = label_tag :should_remove_source_branch, "Remove source-branch"
+          -unless @project.root_ref? @merge_request.source_branch 
+            = check_box_tag :should_remove_source_branch
+            = label_tag :should_remove_source_branch, "Remove source-branch"
              
           = f.submit "Accept Merge Request", :class => "btn small info accept_merge_request"
 
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/merge.rb b/lib/gitlab/merge.rb
index 74ad70b5..134695ce 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/merge.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/merge.rb
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ module Gitlab
             output = merge_repo.git.pull({}, "--no-ff", "origin", merge_request.source_branch)
 
             #remove source-branch
-            if merge_request.should_remove_source_branch
+            if merge_request.should_remove_source_branch && !project.root_ref?(merge_request.source_branch)
               merge_repo.git.sh "git push origin :#{merge_request.source_branch}"
             end