diff --git a/gst/imagefreeze/gstimagefreeze.c b/gst/imagefreeze/gstimagefreeze.c
index 43d495478f..3c617cee1a 100644
--- a/gst/imagefreeze/gstimagefreeze.c
+++ b/gst/imagefreeze/gstimagefreeze.c
@@ -676,9 +676,14 @@ gst_image_freeze_sink_chain (GstPad * pad, GstObject * parent,
 {
   GstImageFreeze *self = GST_IMAGE_FREEZE (parent);
 
-  g_return_val_if_fail (self->buffer == NULL, GST_FLOW_ERROR);
-
   g_mutex_lock (&self->lock);
+  if (self->buffer) {
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (pad, "Already have a buffer, dropping");
+    gst_buffer_unref (buffer);
+    g_mutex_unlock (&self->lock);
+    return GST_FLOW_EOS;
+  }
+
   self->buffer = buffer;
 
   gst_pad_start_task (self->srcpad, (GstTaskFunction) gst_image_freeze_src_loop,