diff --git a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtils.java b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtils.java
index 19af7e179b4cd1426ef9c0f3668b7a598e2f516a..62a3a622089aa45cdd6c7e5d7aec4853bdd83cbc 100644
--- a/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtils.java
+++ b/common/source/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtils.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class PropertyIOUtils
         List<String> lines = FileUtilities.loadToStringList(propertiesFile);
         for (int i = 0; i < lines.size(); i++)
         {
-            String line = lines.get(i);
+            String line = lines.get(i).trim();
             if (line.length() == 0 || line.startsWith("#"))
             {
                 continue;
diff --git a/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtilsTest.java b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtilsTest.java
index 38d4067391df78e63226bd64a09c5534e6091337..8bf6ebb6e2336ce1bba2b6d7a742e2d2e617f220 100644
--- a/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtilsTest.java
+++ b/common/sourceTest/java/ch/systemsx/cisd/common/io/PropertyIOUtilsTest.java
@@ -60,5 +60,16 @@ public class PropertyIOUtilsTest extends AbstractFileSystemTestCase
                     + "': question", ex.getMessage());
         }
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testLoadPropertiesWithEmptyLineWithASpace()
+    {
+        File propertiesFile = new File(workingDirectory, "p.properties");
+        FileUtilities.writeToFile(propertiesFile, "  answer =  42 \n \n");
+        
+        Properties properties = PropertyIOUtils.loadProperties(propertiesFile);
+        
+        assertEquals("42", properties.getProperty("answer"));
+    }
 
 }