diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Kernel/src/ConfigService.cpp b/Code/Mantid/Kernel/src/ConfigService.cpp
index 006dbd6704f478b01bc9d36c39e0daf783a06f81..bafe6232e1569adb7f887caa1a6215344f0e9d3a 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Kernel/src/ConfigService.cpp
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Kernel/src/ConfigService.cpp
@@ -101,10 +101,16 @@ namespace Mantid
 				if( !m_pConf->hasProperty(*sitr) ) continue;
 
 				std::string value(m_pConf->getString(*sitr));
-				if( Poco::Path(value).isRelative() )
-				{
-					m_mAbsolutePaths.insert(std::make_pair(*sitr, Poco::Path(execdir).resolve(value).toString()));
-				}
+        try {
+          if( Poco::Path(value).isRelative() )
+          {
+            m_mAbsolutePaths.insert(std::make_pair(*sitr, Poco::Path(execdir).resolve(value).toString()));
+          }
+        }
+        catch (Poco::PathSyntaxException &ex)
+        {
+          g_log.error() << ex.what() << " in .properties file: " << value << std::endl;
+        }
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h b/Code/Mantid/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
index f64bea6186cf126c2b2b0d384a75667e4e2c0a1a..6d7279a666129b2cb823671db2d7369a2a3fd009 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Kernel/test/ConfigServiceTest.h
@@ -127,9 +127,7 @@ public:
 	  TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(ConfigService::Instance().getString("mantid.thorax"), "1");
 
 	}
- 
-private:
-	ConfigService *configSvc;
+
 };
 
 #endif /*MANTID_CONFIGSERVICETEST_H_*/