diff --git a/keepalived/check/check_data.c b/keepalived/check/check_data.c
index 9e5fa4ec88..58396cf9a6 100644
--- a/keepalived/check/check_data.c
+++ b/keepalived/check/check_data.c
@@ -1070,15 +1070,30 @@ check_check_script_security(void)
 bool
 validate_check_config(void)
 {
-	virtual_server_t *vs, *vs_tmp;
+	virtual_server_t *vs, *vs_tmp, *vs1;
 	virtual_server_group_entry_t *vsge;
 	real_server_t *rs, *rs_tmp, *rs1;
 	checker_t *checker;
 	unsigned weight_sum;
-	bool rs_removed;
+	bool vs_removed, rs_removed;
 
 	using_ha_suspend = false;
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(vs, vs_tmp, &check_data->vs, e_list) {
+		/* Check the virual server is not a duplicate of any vs earlier in the list */
+		vs_removed = false;
+		list_for_each_entry(vs1, &check_data->vs, e_list) {
+			if (vs == vs1)
+				break;
+			if (vs_iseq(vs, vs1)) {
+				report_config_error(CONFIG_GENERAL_ERROR, "Virtual server %s is duplicated - removing second vs and all its related rs and checker entities.", FMT_VS(vs));
+				free_vs(vs);
+				vs_removed = true;
+				break;
+			}
+		}
+		if (vs_removed)
+			continue;
+
 		/* Ensure that ha_suspend is not set for any virtual server using fwmarks */
 		if (vs->ha_suspend &&
 		    (vs->vfwmark || (vs->vsg && !list_empty(&vs->vsg->vfwmark)))) {
diff --git a/keepalived/check/ipwrapper.c b/keepalived/check/ipwrapper.c
index b5337bfacd..e350c666cc 100644
--- a/keepalived/check/ipwrapper.c
+++ b/keepalived/check/ipwrapper.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
 #include "check_data.h"
 #endif
 
-static bool __attribute((pure))
+bool __attribute((pure))
 vs_iseq(const virtual_server_t *vs_a, const virtual_server_t *vs_b)
 {
 	if (!vs_a->vsgname != !vs_b->vsgname)
diff --git a/keepalived/include/ipwrapper.h b/keepalived/include/ipwrapper.h
index fcc32f5a58..58a82011ef 100644
--- a/keepalived/include/ipwrapper.h
+++ b/keepalived/include/ipwrapper.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ rs_iseq(const real_server_t *rs_a, const real_server_t *rs_b)
 {
 	return sockstorage_equal(&rs_a->addr, &rs_b->addr);
 }
+extern bool __attribute__((pure)) vs_iseq(const virtual_server_t *, const virtual_server_t *);
 
 /* prototypes */
 extern void update_svr_wgt(int64_t, virtual_server_t *, real_server_t *, bool);