diff --git a/cinder/tests/api/contrib/test_admin_actions.py b/cinder/tests/api/contrib/test_admin_actions.py
index 491ac1618d6..49dc32abe75 100644
--- a/cinder/tests/api/contrib/test_admin_actions.py
+++ b/cinder/tests/api/contrib/test_admin_actions.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 # under the License.
 
 import ast
+import os
 import shutil
 import tempfile
 import webob
@@ -258,6 +259,7 @@ class AdminActionsTest(test.TestCase):
         self.assertRaises(exception.NotFound, db.volume_get, ctx, volume['id'])
 
     def test_force_delete_snapshot(self):
+        self.stubs.Set(os.path, 'exists', lambda x: True)
         # admin context
         ctx = context.RequestContext('admin', 'fake', True)
         # current status is creating
diff --git a/cinder/tests/test_volume.py b/cinder/tests/test_volume.py
index 004ce5e9271..3f7f9563684 100644
--- a/cinder/tests/test_volume.py
+++ b/cinder/tests/test_volume.py
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ class BaseVolumeTestCase(test.TestCase):
         fake_image.stub_out_image_service(self.stubs)
         test_notifier.NOTIFICATIONS = []
         self.stubs.Set(brick_lvm.LVM, '_vg_exists', lambda x: True)
+        self.stubs.Set(os.path, 'exists', lambda x: True)
 
     def tearDown(self):
         try:
@@ -1161,6 +1162,41 @@ class VolumeTestCase(BaseVolumeTestCase):
         self.volume.delete_snapshot(self.context, snapshot_id)
         self.volume.delete_volume(self.context, volume_id)
 
+    def test_delete_no_dev_fails(self):
+        """Test delete snapshot with no dev file fails."""
+        self.stubs.Set(os.path, 'exists', lambda x: False)
+        self.volume.driver.vg = FakeBrickLVM('cinder-volumes',
+                                             False,
+                                             None,
+                                             'default')
+
+        volume = tests_utils.create_volume(self.context, **self.volume_params)
+        volume_id = volume['id']
+        self.volume.create_volume(self.context, volume_id)
+        snapshot_id = self._create_snapshot(volume_id)['id']
+        self.volume.create_snapshot(self.context, volume_id, snapshot_id)
+
+        self.mox.StubOutWithMock(self.volume.driver, 'delete_snapshot')
+
+        self.volume.driver.delete_snapshot(
+            mox.IgnoreArg()).AndRaise(
+                exception.SnapshotIsBusy(snapshot_name='fake'))
+        self.mox.ReplayAll()
+        self.volume.delete_snapshot(self.context, snapshot_id)
+        snapshot_ref = db.snapshot_get(self.context, snapshot_id)
+        self.assertEqual(snapshot_id, snapshot_ref.id)
+        self.assertEqual("available", snapshot_ref.status)
+
+        self.mox.UnsetStubs()
+        self.assertRaises(exception.VolumeBackendAPIException,
+                          self.volume.delete_snapshot,
+                          self.context,
+                          snapshot_id)
+        self.assertRaises(exception.VolumeBackendAPIException,
+                          self.volume.delete_volume,
+                          self.context,
+                          volume_id)
+
     def _create_volume_from_image(self, fakeout_copy_image_to_volume=False,
                                   fakeout_clone_image=False):
         """Test function of create_volume_from_image.
@@ -2127,6 +2163,7 @@ class LVMVolumeDriverTestCase(DriverTestCase):
         lvm_driver = lvm.LVMVolumeDriver(configuration=configuration)
         self.stubs.Set(volutils, 'copy_volume',
                        lambda x, y, z, sync=False, execute='foo': True)
+        self.stubs.Set(os.path, 'exists', lambda x: True)
 
         fake_volume = {'name': 'test1',
                        'volume_name': 'test1',
diff --git a/cinder/volume/drivers/lvm.py b/cinder/volume/drivers/lvm.py
index 6005f8863ea..fc3b10ccbca 100644
--- a/cinder/volume/drivers/lvm.py
+++ b/cinder/volume/drivers/lvm.py
@@ -134,13 +134,7 @@ class LVMVolumeDriver(driver.VolumeDriver):
 
         # zero out old volumes to prevent data leaking between users
         # TODO(ja): reclaiming space should be done lazy and low priority
-        dev_path = self.local_path(volume)
-
-        # TODO(jdg): Maybe we could optimize this for snaps by looking at
-        # the cow table and only overwriting what's necessary?
-        # for now we're still skipping on snaps due to hang issue
-        if os.path.exists(dev_path) and not is_snapshot:
-            self.clear_volume(volume)
+        self.clear_volume(volume, is_snapshot)
         name = volume['name']
         if is_snapshot:
             name = self._escape_snapshot(volume['name'])
@@ -194,13 +188,27 @@ class LVMVolumeDriver(driver.VolumeDriver):
 
         self._delete_volume(volume)
 
-    def clear_volume(self, volume):
+    def clear_volume(self, volume, is_snapshot=False):
         """unprovision old volumes to prevent data leaking between users."""
 
         if self.configuration.volume_clear == 'none':
             return
 
-        vol_path = self.local_path(volume)
+        if is_snapshot and not self.configuration.lvm_type == 'thin':
+            # if the volume to be cleared is a snapshot of another volume
+            # we need to clear out the volume using the -cow instead of the
+            # directly volume path.  We need to skip this if we are using
+            # thin provisioned LVs.
+            # bug# lp1191812
+            dev_path = self.local_path(volume) + "-cow"
+        else:
+            dev_path = self.local_path(volume)
+
+        if not os.path.exists(dev_path):
+            msg = (_('Volume device file path %s does not exist.') % dev_path)
+            LOG.error(msg)
+            raise exception.VolumeBackendAPIException(data=msg)
+
         size_in_g = volume.get('size', volume.get('volume_size', None))
         if size_in_g is None:
             LOG.warning(_("Size for volume: %s not found, "
@@ -213,7 +221,7 @@ class LVMVolumeDriver(driver.VolumeDriver):
         if self.configuration.volume_clear == 'zero':
             if size_in_m == 0:
                 return volutils.copy_volume('/dev/zero',
-                                            vol_path, size_in_g * 1024,
+                                            dev_path, size_in_g * 1024,
                                             sync=True,
                                             execute=self._execute)
             else:
@@ -227,7 +235,7 @@ class LVMVolumeDriver(driver.VolumeDriver):
                       self.configuration.volume_clear)
             return
 
-        clear_cmd.append(vol_path)
+        clear_cmd.append(dev_path)
         self._execute(*clear_cmd, run_as_root=True)
 
     def create_snapshot(self, snapshot):