diff --git a/plugins/input/postgis/connection.hpp b/plugins/input/postgis/connection.hpp
index 8f3e6bfbb..18009e581 100644
--- a/plugins/input/postgis/connection.hpp
+++ b/plugins/input/postgis/connection.hpp
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public:
         {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nConnection string: '";
+            err_msg += "Connection string: '";
             err_msg += connection_str;
             err_msg += "'\n";
             MAPNIK_LOG_DEBUG(postgis) << "postgis_connection: creation failed, closing connection - " << this;
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public:
         if ( ! ok ) {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nConnection string: '";
+            err_msg += "Connection string: '";
             err_msg += connection_str;
             err_msg += "'\n";
             close();
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public:
         {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nin executeQuery Full sql was: '";
+            err_msg += "in executeQuery Full sql was: '";
             err_msg += sql;
             err_msg += "'\n";
             if ( result ) PQclear(result);
@@ -142,12 +142,19 @@ public:
         std::string status;
         if (conn_)
         {
-            if ( isOK() ) return PQerrorMessage(conn_);
-            else return "Bad connection";
+            char * err_msg = PQerrorMessage(conn_);
+            if (err_msg == nullptr)
+            {
+                status = "Bad connection\n";
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                status = std::string(err_msg);
+            }
         }
         else
         {
-            status = "Uninitialized connection";
+            status = "Uninitialized connection\n";
         }
         return status;
     }
@@ -167,7 +174,7 @@ public:
         {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nin executeAsyncQuery Full sql was: '";
+            err_msg += "in executeAsyncQuery Full sql was: '";
             err_msg += sql;
             err_msg += "'\n";
             clearAsyncResult(PQgetResult(conn_));
@@ -191,7 +198,7 @@ public:
         {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nin getNextAsyncResult";
+            err_msg += "in getNextAsyncResult";
             clearAsyncResult(result);
             // We need to guarde against losing the connection
             // (i.e db restart) so here we invalidate the full connection
@@ -208,7 +215,7 @@ public:
         {
             std::string err_msg = "Postgis Plugin: ";
             err_msg += status();
-            err_msg += "\nin getAsyncResult";
+            err_msg += "in getAsyncResult";
             clearAsyncResult(result);
             // We need to be guarded against losing the connection
             // (i.e db restart), we invalidate the full connection
diff --git a/tests/python_tests/postgis_test.py b/tests/python_tests/postgis_test.py
index d3e3ebe3a..42e3399a0 100644
--- a/tests/python_tests/postgis_test.py
+++ b/tests/python_tests/postgis_test.py
@@ -283,6 +283,16 @@ if 'postgis' in mapnik.DatasourceCache.plugin_names() \
         eq_(meta['encoding'],u'UTF8')
         eq_(meta['geometry_type'],mapnik.DataGeometryType.Polygon)
 
+    def test_bad_connection():
+        try:
+            ds = mapnik.PostGIS(dbname=MAPNIK_TEST_DBNAME,
+                                table='test',
+                                max_size=20,
+                                geometry_field='geom',
+                                user="rolethatdoesnotexist")
+        except Exception, e:
+            assert 'role "rolethatdoesnotexist" does not exist' in str(e)
+
     def test_empty_db():
         ds = mapnik.PostGIS(dbname=MAPNIK_TEST_DBNAME,table='empty')
         fs = ds.featureset()
@@ -844,7 +854,8 @@ if 'postgis' in mapnik.DatasourceCache.plugin_names() \
             fs = ds_bad.featureset()
             for feature in fs:
                 pass
-        except RuntimeError:
+        except RuntimeError, e:
+            assert 'invalid input syntax for integer' in str(e)
             failed = True
 
         eq_(failed,True)
@@ -907,7 +918,8 @@ if 'postgis' in mapnik.DatasourceCache.plugin_names() \
             mapnik.render_to_file(map1,'/tmp/mapnik-postgis-test-map1.png', 'png')
             # Test must fail if error was not raised just above
             eq_(False,True)
-        except RuntimeError:
+        except RuntimeError, e:
+            assert 'invalid input syntax for integer' in str(e)
             pass
         # This used to raise an exception before correction of issue 2042
         mapnik.render_to_file(map2,'/tmp/mapnik-postgis-test-map2.png', 'png')