diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.txt b/RELEASE_NOTES.txt
index ca9fc0bc8..66981e823 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES.txt
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 Changes since 4.3 ALPHA1
 -------------------
+* [HTTPCLIENT-1319] InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress does not detect excess groups 
+  Contributed Sebastian Bazley <sebb at apache.org>.
+
 * [HTTPCLIENT-1317] InetAddressUtils should handle IPv6 Addresses with Embedded IPv4 Addresses 
   Contributed Sebastian Bazley <sebb at apache.org>.
 
diff --git a/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/InetAddressUtils.java b/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/InetAddressUtils.java
index e8e158db7..874f1b82e 100644
--- a/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/InetAddressUtils.java
+++ b/httpclient/src/main/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/InetAddressUtils.java
@@ -62,6 +62,20 @@ public class InetAddressUtils {
                  "::" +
                  "(([0-9A-Fa-f]{1,4}(:[0-9A-Fa-f]{1,4}){0,5})?)$"); // 0-6 hex fields
 
+    /*
+     *  The above pattern is not totally rigorous as it allows for more than 7 hex fields in total 
+     */   
+    private static final char COLON_CHAR = ':';
+
+    // Must not have more than 7 colons (i.e. 8 fields)
+    private static final int MAX_COLON_COUNT = 7;
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the parameter is a valid IPv4 address
+     * 
+     * @param input the address string to check for validity
+     * @return true if the input parameter is a valid IPv4 address
+     */
     public static boolean isIPv4Address(final String input) {
         return IPV4_PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
     }
@@ -70,14 +84,38 @@ public class InetAddressUtils {
         return IPV4_MAPPED_IPV6_PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the parameter is a valid standard (non-compressed) IPv6 address
+     * 
+     * @param input the address string to check for validity
+     * @return true if the input parameter is a valid standard (non-compressed) IPv6 address
+     */
     public static boolean isIPv6StdAddress(final String input) {
         return IPV6_STD_PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the parameter is a valid compressed IPv6 address
+     * 
+     * @param input the address string to check for validity
+     * @return true if the input parameter is a valid compressed IPv6 address
+     */
     public static boolean isIPv6HexCompressedAddress(final String input) {
-        return IPV6_HEX_COMPRESSED_PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
+        int colonCount = 0;
+        for(int i = 0; i < input.length(); i++) {
+            if (input.charAt(i) == COLON_CHAR) {
+                colonCount++;
+            }
+        }
+        return  colonCount <= MAX_COLON_COUNT && IPV6_HEX_COMPRESSED_PATTERN.matcher(input).matches();
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the parameter is a valid IPv6 address (including compressed).
+     * 
+     * @param input the address string to check for validity
+     * @return true if the input parameter is a valid standard or compressed IPv6 address
+     */
     public static boolean isIPv6Address(final String input) {
         return isIPv6StdAddress(input) || isIPv6HexCompressedAddress(input);
     }
diff --git a/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/TestInetAddressUtils.java b/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/TestInetAddressUtils.java
index f181739cd..6749bdab5 100644
--- a/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/TestInetAddressUtils.java
+++ b/httpclient/src/test/java/org/apache/http/conn/util/TestInetAddressUtils.java
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ public class TestInetAddressUtils {
         Assert.assertTrue(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("2001:0db8::1428:57ab"));
         Assert.assertTrue(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("2001:db8::1428:57ab"));
         Assert.assertTrue(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("::1"));
+        Assert.assertTrue(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("::")); // http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4291#section-2.2
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -70,15 +71,15 @@ public class TestInetAddressUtils {
         Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress(":1"));
         Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6Address("2001:0db8::0000::57ab")); // Cannot have two contractions
         Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("1:2:3:4:5:6:7::9")); // too many fields before ::
+        Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("1::3:4:5:6:7:8:9")); // too many fields after ::
         Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("::3:4:5:6:7:8:9")); // too many fields after ::
     }
 
     @Test
-    @org.junit.Ignore
     // Test HTTPCLIENT-1319
     public void testInvalidIPv6AddressIncorrectGroupCount() {
-        Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("::")); // not enough fields
-        Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("1::2:3:4:5:6:7:8")); // too many fields
+        Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("1:2::4:5:6:7:8:9")); // too many fields in total
+        Assert.assertFalse(InetAddressUtils.isIPv6HexCompressedAddress("1:2:3:4:5:6::8:9")); // too many fields in total
     }
 
     @Test