diff --git a/ccollect.sh b/ccollect.sh
index e14dcfc..0444ff0 100755
--- a/ccollect.sh
+++ b/ccollect.sh
@@ -366,6 +366,8 @@ while [ "${i}" -lt "${no_sources}" ]; do
          _exit_err "Source ${c_source} is not readable. Skipping."
       fi
    fi
+   # Verify source is up and accepting connections before deleting any old backups
+   rsync "$source" >/dev/null || _exit_err "Source ${source} is not readable. Skipping."
 
    #
    # Destination is a path