diff --git a/app/controllers/locations_controller.rb b/app/controllers/locations_controller.rb
index 3476cd236..74b8296b5 100644
--- a/app/controllers/locations_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/locations_controller.rb
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ private
   end
 
   def date_params_missing?(location_params)
-    location_params["startdate(1i)"].empty? && location_params["startdate(2i)"].empty? && location_params["startdate(3i)"].empty?
+    location_params["startdate(1i)"].blank? && location_params["startdate(2i)"].blank? && location_params["startdate(3i)"].blank?
   end
 
   def is_integer?(string)
diff --git a/spec/requests/locations_controller_spec.rb b/spec/requests/locations_controller_spec.rb
index 61bc1f1f8..9bcab3544 100644
--- a/spec/requests/locations_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/locations_controller_spec.rb
@@ -222,27 +222,6 @@ RSpec.describe LocationsController, type: :request do
         end
       end
 
-      context "when invalid time is supplied" do
-        let(:params) do
-          { location: {
-            name: "Test",
-            units: "5",
-            type_of_unit: "Bungalow",
-            wheelchair_adaptation: "No",
-            add_another_location: "No",
-            postcode: "ZZ1 1ZZ",
-            "startdate(3i)" => "1",
-            "startdate(2i)" => "1",
-            "startdate(1i)" => "w",
-          } }
-        end
-
-        it "displays the new page with an error message" do
-          expect(response).to have_http_status(:unprocessable_entity)
-          expect(page).to have_content(I18n.t("validations.date.invalid_date"))
-        end
-      end
-
       context "when no startdate is supplied" do
         let(:params) do
           { location: {