diff --git a/poverty-mapping/Dockerfile b/poverty-mapping/Dockerfile
index 867d512..85523ac 100644
--- a/poverty-mapping/Dockerfile
+++ b/poverty-mapping/Dockerfile
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ RUN a2enmod rewrite
 # Copy project files into container
 COPY . /var/www/html/
 
+# Remove dangling symlink if exists, and create a real uploads directory
+RUN rm -f /var/www/html/uploads && mkdir -p /var/www/html/uploads
+
 # Set ownership and permissions for uploads directory
 RUN chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html && chmod -R 775 /var/www/html/uploads