diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/HttpCache/HttpCache.php b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/HttpCache/HttpCache.php
index 941d4c6fa033d..ef1068d568340 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/HttpCache/HttpCache.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/HttpCache/HttpCache.php
@@ -549,49 +549,39 @@ protected function lock(Request $request, Response $entry)
         // try to acquire a lock to call the backend
         $lock = $this->store->lock($request);
 
+        if (true === $lock) {
+            // we have the lock, call the backend
+            return false;
+        }
+
         // there is already another process calling the backend
-        if (true !== $lock) {
-            // check if we can serve the stale entry
-            if (null === $age = $entry->headers->getCacheControlDirective('stale-while-revalidate')) {
-                $age = $this->options['stale_while_revalidate'];
-            }
 
-            if (abs($entry->getTtl()) < $age) {
-                $this->record($request, 'stale-while-revalidate');
+        // May we serve a stale response?
+        if ($this->mayServeStaleWhileRevalidate($entry)) {
+            $this->record($request, 'stale-while-revalidate');
 
-                // server the stale response while there is a revalidation
-                return true;
-            }
-
-            // wait for the lock to be released
-            $wait = 0;
-            while ($this->store->isLocked($request) && $wait < 5000000) {
-                usleep(50000);
-                $wait += 50000;
-            }
+            return true;
+        }
 
-            if ($wait < 5000000) {
-                // replace the current entry with the fresh one
-                $new = $this->lookup($request);
-                $entry->headers = $new->headers;
-                $entry->setContent($new->getContent());
-                $entry->setStatusCode($new->getStatusCode());
-                $entry->setProtocolVersion($new->getProtocolVersion());
-                foreach ($new->headers->getCookies() as $cookie) {
-                    $entry->headers->setCookie($cookie);
-                }
-            } else {
-                // backend is slow as hell, send a 503 response (to avoid the dog pile effect)
-                $entry->setStatusCode(503);
-                $entry->setContent('503 Service Unavailable');
-                $entry->headers->set('Retry-After', 10);
+        // wait for the lock to be released
+        if ($this->waitForLock($request)) {
+            // replace the current entry with the fresh one
+            $new = $this->lookup($request);
+            $entry->headers = $new->headers;
+            $entry->setContent($new->getContent());
+            $entry->setStatusCode($new->getStatusCode());
+            $entry->setProtocolVersion($new->getProtocolVersion());
+            foreach ($new->headers->getCookies() as $cookie) {
+                $entry->headers->setCookie($cookie);
             }
-
-            return true;
+        } else {
+            // backend is slow as hell, send a 503 response (to avoid the dog pile effect)
+            $entry->setStatusCode(503);
+            $entry->setContent('503 Service Unavailable');
+            $entry->headers->set('Retry-After', 10);
         }
 
-        // we have the lock, call the backend
-        return false;
+        return true;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -710,4 +700,41 @@ private function record(Request $request, $event)
         }
         $this->traces[$request->getMethod().' '.$path][] = $event;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the given (cached) response may be served as "stale" when a revalidation
+     * is currently in progress.
+     *
+     * @param Response $entry
+     *
+     * @return bool True when the stale response may be served, false otherwise.
+     */
+    private function mayServeStaleWhileRevalidate(Response $entry)
+    {
+        $timeout = $entry->headers->getCacheControlDirective('stale-while-revalidate');
+
+        if ($timeout === null) {
+            $timeout = $this->options['stale_while_revalidate'];
+        }
+
+        return abs($entry->getTtl()) < $timeout;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Waits for the store to release a locked entry.
+     *
+     * @param Request $request The request to wait for
+     *
+     * @return bool True if the lock was released before the internal timeout was hit; false if the wait timeout was exceeded.
+     */
+    private function waitForLock(Request $request)
+    {
+        $wait = 0;
+        while ($this->store->isLocked($request) && $wait < 5000000) {
+            usleep(50000);
+            $wait += 50000;
+        }
+
+        return $wait < 5000000;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTest.php
index 7751f6e0ccfdc..c300a3afa6614 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTest.php
@@ -562,6 +562,42 @@ public function testHitsCachedResponseWithMaxAgeDirective()
         $this->assertEquals('Hello World', $this->response->getContent());
     }
 
+    public function testDegradationWhenCacheLocked()
+    {
+        $this->cacheConfig['stale_while_revalidate'] = 10;
+
+        // The prescence of Last-Modified makes this cacheable (because Response::isValidateable() then).
+        $this->setNextResponse(200, array('Cache-Control' => 'public, s-maxage=5', 'Last-Modified' => 'some while ago'), 'Old response');
+        $this->request('GET', '/'); // warm the cache
+
+        // Now, lock the cache
+        $concurrentRequest = Request::create('/', 'GET');
+        $this->store->lock($concurrentRequest);
+
+        /*
+         *  After 10s, the cached response has become stale. Yet, we're still within the "stale_while_revalidate"
+         *  timeout so we may serve the stale response.
+         */
+        sleep(10);
+
+        $this->request('GET', '/');
+        $this->assertHttpKernelIsNotCalled();
+        $this->assertEquals(200, $this->response->getStatusCode());
+        $this->assertTraceContains('stale-while-revalidate');
+        $this->assertEquals('Old response', $this->response->getContent());
+
+        /*
+         * Another 10s later, stale_while_revalidate is over. Resort to serving the old response, but
+         * do so with a "server unavailable" message.
+         */
+        sleep(10);
+
+        $this->request('GET', '/');
+        $this->assertHttpKernelIsNotCalled();
+        $this->assertEquals(503, $this->response->getStatusCode());
+        $this->assertEquals('Old response', $this->response->getContent());
+    }
+
     public function testHitsCachedResponseWithSMaxAgeDirective()
     {
         $time = \DateTime::createFromFormat('U', time() - 5);
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTestCase.php b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTestCase.php
index 96a66771a06bc..ed5c690d60bcb 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTestCase.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/HttpCache/HttpCacheTestCase.php
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ class HttpCacheTestCase extends TestCase
     protected $responses;
     protected $catch;
     protected $esi;
+
+    /**
+     * @var Store
+     */
     protected $store;
 
     protected function setUp()