diff --git a/backup/controller/backup_controller.class.php b/backup/controller/backup_controller.class.php
index e270f9e1f86..35edd9c318a 100644
--- a/backup/controller/backup_controller.class.php
+++ b/backup/controller/backup_controller.class.php
@@ -158,6 +158,8 @@ class backup_controller extends base_controller {
     public function destroy() {
         // Only need to destroy circulars under the plan. Delegate to it.
         $this->plan->destroy();
+        // Loggers may have also chained references, destroy them. Also closing resources when needed.
+        $this->logger->destroy();
     }
 
     public function finish_ui() {
@@ -184,7 +186,7 @@ class backup_controller extends base_controller {
             $this->save_controller();
             $tbc = self::load_controller($this->backupid);
             $this->logger = $tbc->logger; // wakeup loggers
-            $tbc->destroy(); // Clean temp controller structures
+            $tbc->plan->destroy(); // Clean plan controller structures, keeping logger alive.
 
         } else if ($status == backup::STATUS_FINISHED_OK) {
             // If the operation has ended without error (backup::STATUS_FINISHED_OK)
diff --git a/backup/controller/restore_controller.class.php b/backup/controller/restore_controller.class.php
index 8c72c588359..2829b998766 100644
--- a/backup/controller/restore_controller.class.php
+++ b/backup/controller/restore_controller.class.php
@@ -170,6 +170,8 @@ class restore_controller extends base_controller {
     public function destroy() {
         // Only need to destroy circulars under the plan. Delegate to it.
         $this->plan->destroy();
+        // Loggers may have also chained references, destroy them. Also closing resources when needed.
+        $this->logger->destroy();
     }
 
     public function finish_ui() {
@@ -196,7 +198,7 @@ class restore_controller extends base_controller {
             $this->save_controller();
             $tbc = self::load_controller($this->restoreid);
             $this->logger = $tbc->logger; // wakeup loggers
-            $tbc->destroy(); // Clean temp controller structures
+            $tbc->plan->destroy(); // Clean plan controller structures, keeping logger alive.
 
         } else if ($status == backup::STATUS_FINISHED_OK) {
             // If the operation has ended without error (backup::STATUS_FINISHED_OK)
diff --git a/backup/upgrade.txt b/backup/upgrade.txt
index 31e7f031106..88a9c885691 100644
--- a/backup/upgrade.txt
+++ b/backup/upgrade.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
 This files describes API changes in /backup/*,
 information provided here is intended especially for developers.
 
+=== 3.1 ===
+
+* New close() method added to loggers so they can close any open resource. Previously
+  any backup and restore operation using the file logger may be leaving unclosed files.
+* New destroy() method added to loggers, normally called from backup and restore controllers
+  own destroy() method to ensure that all references in the chained loggers are deleted
+  and any open resource within them is closed properly.
+
 === 3.0 ===
 
 * The backup_auto_keep setting, in automated backups configuration, is now
diff --git a/backup/util/dbops/restore_dbops.class.php b/backup/util/dbops/restore_dbops.class.php
index 120ea6c7d4e..6d48d36ea9c 100644
--- a/backup/util/dbops/restore_dbops.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/dbops/restore_dbops.class.php
@@ -101,9 +101,11 @@ abstract class restore_dbops {
 
             // If included, add it
             if ($included) {
-                $includedtasks[] = $task;
+                $includedtasks[] = clone($task); // A clone is enough. In fact we only need the basepath.
             }
         }
+        $rc->destroy(); // Always need to destroy.
+
         return $includedtasks;
     }
 
@@ -1510,8 +1512,12 @@ abstract class restore_dbops {
         // Calculate the context we are going to use for capability checking
         $context = context_course::instance($courseid);
 
+        // TODO: Some day we must kill this dependency and change the process
+        // to pass info around without loading a controller copy.
         // When conflicting users are detected we may need original site info.
-        $restoreinfo = restore_controller_dbops::load_controller($restoreid)->get_info();
+        $rc = restore_controller_dbops::load_controller($restoreid);
+        $restoreinfo = $rc->get_info();
+        $rc->destroy(); // Always need to destroy.
 
         // Calculate if we have perms to create users, by checking:
         // to 'moodle/restore:createuser' and 'moodle/restore:userinfo'
diff --git a/backup/util/helper/backup_helper.class.php b/backup/util/helper/backup_helper.class.php
index 4096371b765..a5a7faa0fb5 100644
--- a/backup/util/helper/backup_helper.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/helper/backup_helper.class.php
@@ -302,6 +302,7 @@ abstract class backup_helper {
                     $bc = backup_controller::load_controller($backupid);
                     $bc->log('Attempt to copy backup file to the specified directory using filesystem failed - ',
                             backup::LOG_WARNING, $dir);
+                    $bc->destroy();
                 }
                 // bad luck, try to deal with the file the old way - keep backup in file area if we can not copy to ext system
             }
diff --git a/backup/util/loggers/base_logger.class.php b/backup/util/loggers/base_logger.class.php
index ed2125cf37e..32b0c06c939 100644
--- a/backup/util/loggers/base_logger.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/loggers/base_logger.class.php
@@ -71,6 +71,30 @@ abstract class base_logger implements checksumable {
         return $this->level;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Destroy (nullify) the chain of loggers references, also closing resources when needed.
+     *
+     * @since Moodle 3.1
+     */
+    public final function destroy() {
+        // Recursively destroy the chain.
+        if ($this->next !== null) {
+            $this->next->destroy();
+            $this->next = null;
+        }
+        // And close every logger.
+        $this->close();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Close any resource the logger may have open.
+     *
+     * @since Moodle 3.1
+     */
+    public function close() {
+        // Nothing to do by default. Only loggers using resources (files, own connections...) need to override this.
+    }
+
 // checksumable interface methods
 
     public function calculate_checksum() {
diff --git a/backup/util/loggers/file_logger.class.php b/backup/util/loggers/file_logger.class.php
index 5c05380d36f..98ff74acf39 100644
--- a/backup/util/loggers/file_logger.class.php
+++ b/backup/util/loggers/file_logger.class.php
@@ -66,6 +66,19 @@ class file_logger extends base_logger {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Close the logger resources (file handle) if still open.
+     *
+     * @since Moodle 3.1
+     */
+    public function close() {
+        // Close the file handle if hasn't been closed already.
+        if (is_resource($this->fhandle)) {
+            fclose($this->fhandle);
+            $this->fhandle = null;
+        }
+    }
+
 // Protected API starts here
 
     protected function action($message, $level, $options = null) {