diff --git a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/inc/MantidVatesSimpleGuiViewWidgets/ViewBase.h b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/inc/MantidVatesSimpleGuiViewWidgets/ViewBase.h
index 5900e926c104fdf3a6e1ef5de15a58540ddb8625..1797b090793dcd369621f8c3052ed98ac3612f22 100644
--- a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/inc/MantidVatesSimpleGuiViewWidgets/ViewBase.h
+++ b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/inc/MantidVatesSimpleGuiViewWidgets/ViewBase.h
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ public:
   void setColorScaleLock(Mantid::VATES::ColorScaleLock* colorScaleLock);
   QPointer<pqPipelineSource> origSrc; ///< The original source
   QPointer<pqPipelineRepresentation> origRep; ///< The original source representation
+  /// Has active source
+  bool hasActiveSource();
 
 public slots:
   /// Set the color scale back to the original bounds.
diff --git a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/StandardView.cpp b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/StandardView.cpp
index 7a2a7c80b766f41afff13a5b4ab5cfb0468214c9..8f60afc468b7b52e8152383feeca33311a1de3f9 100644
--- a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/StandardView.cpp
+++ b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/StandardView.cpp
@@ -229,6 +229,11 @@ void StandardView::render()
 }
 
 void StandardView::onCutButtonClicked() {
+  // check that has active source
+  if (!hasActiveSource()) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   // Apply cut to currently viewed data
   pqObjectBuilder *builder = pqApplicationCore::instance()->getObjectBuilder();
   builder->createFilter("filters", "Cut", this->getPvActiveSrc());
@@ -239,6 +244,11 @@ void StandardView::onCutButtonClicked() {
 }
 
 void StandardView::onScaleButtonClicked() {
+  // check that has active source
+  if (!hasActiveSource()) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   pqObjectBuilder *builder = pqApplicationCore::instance()->getObjectBuilder();
   this->m_scaler = builder->createFilter(
       "filters", "MantidParaViewScaleWorkspace", this->getPvActiveSrc());
diff --git a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/ViewBase.cpp b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/ViewBase.cpp
index bed671a122fa44d5586adb073224c019cc12b62e..e436ca37dfd973d588fc6ddbec10fbe62f730501 100644
--- a/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/ViewBase.cpp
+++ b/Vates/VatesSimpleGui/ViewWidgets/src/ViewBase.cpp
@@ -954,6 +954,13 @@ void ViewBase::setAxesGrid(bool on) {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Check if there is an active source available
+ * @returns true if there is an active source else false
+ */
+bool ViewBase::hasActiveSource() {
+  return this->getPvActiveSrc() != nullptr;
+}
 
 } // namespace SimpleGui
 } // namespace Vates