diff --git a/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc b/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
index 437e9e729..1c9c62a91 100644
--- a/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
+++ b/rtengine/simpleprocess.cc
@@ -197,6 +197,9 @@ IImage16* processImage (ProcessingJob* pjob, int& errorCode, ProgressListener* p
     }
     readyImg = ipf.lab2rgb16 (labView, cx, cy, cw, ch, params.icm.output);
 
+    // we can now safely delete labView
+    delete labView;
+
     if (pl) 
         pl->setProgress (1.0);