diff --git a/phpBB/common.php b/phpBB/common.php
index eba2e8eca9..ec6ff6805e 100644
--- a/phpBB/common.php
+++ b/phpBB/common.php
@@ -113,6 +113,14 @@ $phpbb_class_loader_ext->register();
 try
 {
 	$phpbb_container_builder = new \phpbb\di\container_builder($phpbb_root_path, $phpEx);
+
+	// Check that cache directory is writable before trying to build container
+	$cache_dir = $phpbb_container_builder->get_cache_dir();
+	if (file_exists($cache_dir) && !is_writable($phpbb_container_builder->get_cache_dir()))
+	{
+		die('Unable to write to the cache directory path "' . $cache_dir . '". Ensure that the web server user can write to the cache folder.');
+	}
+
 	$phpbb_container = $phpbb_container_builder->with_config($phpbb_config_php_file)->get_container();
 }
 catch (InvalidArgumentException $e)
diff --git a/phpBB/phpbb/di/container_builder.php b/phpBB/phpbb/di/container_builder.php
index 33852ba08c..935aa11efb 100644
--- a/phpBB/phpbb/di/container_builder.php
+++ b/phpBB/phpbb/di/container_builder.php
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ class container_builder
 	 *
 	 * @return string Path to the cache directory.
 	 */
-	protected function get_cache_dir()
+	public function get_cache_dir()
 	{
 		return $this->cache_dir ?: $this->phpbb_root_path . 'cache/' . $this->get_environment() . '/';
 	}