diff --git a/tests/runtests.pl b/tests/runtests.pl
index ea2050a5c5..e8ae7d6695 100755
--- a/tests/runtests.pl
+++ b/tests/runtests.pl
@@ -160,7 +160,6 @@ my $globalabort; # flag signalling program abort
 # values for $singletest_state
 use constant {
     ST_INIT => 0,
-    ST_CLEARLOCKS => 1,
     ST_INITED => 2,
     ST_PREPROCESS => 3,
     ST_RUN => 4,
@@ -1848,21 +1847,6 @@ sub singletest {
         # event expected that would otherwise trigger a new call.
         return singletest(@_);
 
-    } elsif($singletest_state{$runnerid} == ST_CLEARLOCKS) {
-        my ($rid, $logs) = runnerar($runnerid);
-        if(!$rid) {
-            logmsg "ERROR: runner $runnerid seems to have died\n";
-            $singletest_state{$runnerid} = ST_INIT;
-            return (-1, 0);
-        }
-        logmsg $logs;
-        my $logdir = getrunnerlogdir($runnerid);
-        cleardir($logdir);
-        $singletest_state{$runnerid} = ST_INITED;
-        # Recursively call the state machine again because there is no
-        # event expected that would otherwise trigger a new call.
-        return singletest(@_);
-
     } elsif($singletest_state{$runnerid} == ST_INITED) {
         ###################################################################
         # Restore environment variables that were modified in a previous run.