diff --git a/fs/operations/operations_test.go b/fs/operations/operations_test.go
index 620175c91..95f4586e5 100644
--- a/fs/operations/operations_test.go
+++ b/fs/operations/operations_test.go
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ func TestRcat(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestPurge(t *testing.T) {
-	r := fstest.NewRun(t)
+	r := fstest.NewRunIndividual(t) // make new container (azureblob has delayed mkdir after rmdir)
 	defer r.Finalise()
 	r.Mkdir(r.Fremote)
 
diff --git a/fstest/run.go b/fstest/run.go
index 23872e1b5..dda6d4570 100644
--- a/fstest/run.go
+++ b/fstest/run.go
@@ -121,16 +121,17 @@ func retry(t *testing.T, what string, f func() error) {
 	t.Logf("%s failed: %v", what, err)
 }
 
-// NewRun initialise the remote and local for testing and returns a
-// run object.  Call this from the tests.
+// newRunIndividual initialise the remote and local for testing and
+// returns a run object.  Pass in true to make individual tests or
+// false to use the global one.
 //
 // r.Flocal is an empty local Fs
 // r.Fremote is an empty remote Fs
 //
 // Finalise() will tidy them away when done.
-func NewRun(t *testing.T) *Run {
+func newRunIndividual(t *testing.T, individual bool) *Run {
 	var r *Run
-	if *Individual {
+	if individual {
 		r = newRun()
 	} else {
 		// If not individual, use the global one with the clean method overridden
@@ -176,6 +177,22 @@ func NewRun(t *testing.T) *Run {
 	return r
 }
 
+// NewRun initialise the remote and local for testing and returns a
+// run object.  Call this from the tests.
+//
+// r.Flocal is an empty local Fs
+// r.Fremote is an empty remote Fs
+//
+// Finalise() will tidy them away when done.
+func NewRun(t *testing.T) *Run {
+	return newRunIndividual(t, *Individual)
+}
+
+// NewRunIndividual as per NewRun but makes an individual remote for this test
+func NewRunIndividual(t *testing.T) *Run {
+	return newRunIndividual(t, true)
+}
+
 // RenameFile renames a file in local
 func (r *Run) RenameFile(item Item, newpath string) Item {
 	oldFilepath := path.Join(r.LocalName, item.Path)