"Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/" causes start up failure

[hwits]

Hi all

I've had an issue over the past 2 weeks where servers would not start completely due to a Problem with MergeList /var/lib/apt/lists/za.ubuntu...." error message.

This seems to be something new which can be solved by deleting the contents of /var/lib/apt/lists and running an apt-get update.

However, since the server doesn't boot properly, this needs to be done manually on the network.

I'm wondering how to resolve this? The issue has recurred twice on 2 servers.

Is the loading of these lists mandatory for boot? Should I refresh these lists daily to prevent corruption?

Thanks