diff --git a/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/Surface_mesh_segmentation/internal/auxiliary/graph.h b/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/Surface_mesh_segmentation/internal/auxiliary/graph.h
index e13471ce036..5f357c809ab 100644
--- a/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/Surface_mesh_segmentation/internal/auxiliary/graph.h
+++ b/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/Surface_mesh_segmentation/internal/auxiliary/graph.h
@@ -520,6 +520,8 @@ public:
   /* Destructor */
   ~Graph();
 
+  void clear();
+
   /* Adds a node to the graph */
   node_id add_node();
 
@@ -701,7 +703,7 @@ inline Graph::Graph(void (*err_function)(const char *))
   flow = 0;
 }
 
-inline Graph::~Graph()
+inline void Graph::clear()
 {
   while (node_block_first) {
     node_block *next = node_block_first -> next;
@@ -722,6 +724,11 @@ inline Graph::~Graph()
   }
 }
 
+inline Graph::~Graph()
+{
+  clear();
+}
+
 inline Graph::node_id Graph::add_node()
 {
   node *i;
diff --git a/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/boost/graph/Alpha_expansion_MaxFlow_tag.h b/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/boost/graph/Alpha_expansion_MaxFlow_tag.h
index 3b311b70191..7ef35e755d6 100644
--- a/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/boost/graph/Alpha_expansion_MaxFlow_tag.h
+++ b/Surface_mesh_segmentation/include/CGAL/boost/graph/Alpha_expansion_MaxFlow_tag.h
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public:
 
   void clear_graph()
   {
-    graph = MaxFlow::Graph();
+    graph.clear();
   }
 
   Vertex_descriptor add_vertex()