diff --git a/bower.json b/bower.json
index e800372..3d75624 100644
--- a/bower.json
+++ b/bower.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "angular-ui-sortable",
-  "version": "0.12.2",
+  "version": "0.12.3",
   "main": "./sortable.js",
   "dependencies": {
     "angular": "~1.2.x",
diff --git a/sortable.js b/sortable.js
index f9a134c..c6de7f2 100644
--- a/sortable.js
+++ b/sortable.js
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ angular.module('ui.sortable', [])
             scope.$watch(attrs.ngModel+'.length', function() {
               // Timeout to let ng-repeat modify the DOM
               $timeout(function() {
+                // ensure that the jquery-ui-sortable widget instance
+                // is still bound to the directive's element
                 if (!!element.data('ui-sortable')) {
                   element.sortable('refresh');
                 }
@@ -176,18 +178,23 @@ angular.module('ui.sortable', [])
             };
 
             scope.$watch(attrs.uiSortable, function(newVal /*, oldVal*/) {
-              angular.forEach(newVal, function(value, key) {
-                if(callbacks[key]) {
-                  if( key === 'stop' ){
-                    // call apply after stop
-                    value = combineCallbacks(
-                      value, function() { scope.$apply(); });
+              // ensure that the jquery-ui-sortable widget instance
+              // is still bound to the directive's element
+              if (!!element.data('ui-sortable')) {
+                angular.forEach(newVal, function(value, key) {
+                  if(callbacks[key]) {
+                    if( key === 'stop' ){
+                      // call apply after stop
+                      value = combineCallbacks(
+                        value, function() { scope.$apply(); });
+                    }
+                    // wrap the callback
+                    value = combineCallbacks(callbacks[key], value);
                   }
-                  // wrap the callback
-                  value = combineCallbacks(callbacks[key], value);
-                }
-                element.sortable('option', key, value);
-              });
+                  
+                  element.sortable('option', key, value);
+                });
+              }
             }, true);
 
             angular.forEach(callbacks, function(value, key) {
diff --git a/sortable.min.js b/sortable.min.js
index 4aaff97..ec0a285 100644
--- a/sortable.min.js
+++ b/sortable.min.js
@@ -1 +1 @@
-!function(a,b){"use strict";b.module("ui.sortable",[]).value("uiSortableConfig",{}).directive("uiSortable",["uiSortableConfig","$timeout","$log",function(a,c,d){return{require:"?ngModel",link:function(e,f,g,h){function i(a,b){return b&&"function"==typeof b?function(c,d){a(c,d),b(c,d)}:a}var j,k={},l={receive:null,remove:null,start:null,stop:null,update:null};b.extend(k,a),h?(e.$watch(g.ngModel+".length",function(){c(function(){f.data("ui-sortable")&&f.sortable("refresh")})}),l.start=function(a,b){b.item.sortable={index:b.item.index(),cancel:function(){b.item.sortable._isCanceled=!0},isCanceled:function(){return b.item.sortable._isCanceled},_isCanceled:!1}},l.activate=function(){j=f.contents();var a=f.sortable("option","placeholder");if(a&&a.element&&"function"==typeof a.element){var c=a.element();c.jquery||(c=b.element(c));var d=f.find('[class="'+c.attr("class")+'"]');j=j.not(d)}},l.update=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.received||(b.item.sortable.dropindex=b.item.index(),b.item.sortable.droptarget=b.item.parent(),f.sortable("cancel")),"clone"===f.sortable("option","helper")&&(j=j.not(j.last())),j.appendTo(f),b.item.sortable.received&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()&&e.$apply(function(){h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.dropindex,0,b.item.sortable.moved)})},l.stop=function(a,b){!b.item.sortable.received&&"dropindex"in b.item.sortable&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()?e.$apply(function(){h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.dropindex,0,h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.index,1)[0])}):"dropindex"in b.item.sortable&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()||"clone"===f.sortable("option","helper")||j.appendTo(f)},l.receive=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.received=!0},l.remove=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.isCanceled()||e.$apply(function(){b.item.sortable.moved=h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.index,1)[0]})},e.$watch(g.uiSortable,function(a){b.forEach(a,function(a,b){l[b]&&("stop"===b&&(a=i(a,function(){e.$apply()})),a=i(l[b],a)),f.sortable("option",b,a)})},!0),b.forEach(l,function(a,b){k[b]=i(a,k[b])})):d.info("ui.sortable: ngModel not provided!",f),f.sortable(k)}}}])}(window,window.angular);
\ No newline at end of file
+!function(a,b){"use strict";b.module("ui.sortable",[]).value("uiSortableConfig",{}).directive("uiSortable",["uiSortableConfig","$timeout","$log",function(a,c,d){return{require:"?ngModel",link:function(e,f,g,h){function i(a,b){return b&&"function"==typeof b?function(c,d){a(c,d),b(c,d)}:a}var j,k={},l={receive:null,remove:null,start:null,stop:null,update:null};b.extend(k,a),h?(e.$watch(g.ngModel+".length",function(){c(function(){f.data("ui-sortable")&&f.sortable("refresh")})}),l.start=function(a,b){b.item.sortable={index:b.item.index(),cancel:function(){b.item.sortable._isCanceled=!0},isCanceled:function(){return b.item.sortable._isCanceled},_isCanceled:!1}},l.activate=function(){j=f.contents();var a=f.sortable("option","placeholder");if(a&&a.element&&"function"==typeof a.element){var c=a.element();c.jquery||(c=b.element(c));var d=f.find('[class="'+c.attr("class")+'"]');j=j.not(d)}},l.update=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.received||(b.item.sortable.dropindex=b.item.index(),b.item.sortable.droptarget=b.item.parent(),f.sortable("cancel")),"clone"===f.sortable("option","helper")&&(j=j.not(j.last())),j.appendTo(f),b.item.sortable.received&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()&&e.$apply(function(){h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.dropindex,0,b.item.sortable.moved)})},l.stop=function(a,b){!b.item.sortable.received&&"dropindex"in b.item.sortable&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()?e.$apply(function(){h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.dropindex,0,h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.index,1)[0])}):"dropindex"in b.item.sortable&&!b.item.sortable.isCanceled()||"clone"===f.sortable("option","helper")||j.appendTo(f)},l.receive=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.received=!0},l.remove=function(a,b){b.item.sortable.isCanceled()||e.$apply(function(){b.item.sortable.moved=h.$modelValue.splice(b.item.sortable.index,1)[0]})},e.$watch(g.uiSortable,function(a){f.data("ui-sortable")&&b.forEach(a,function(a,b){l[b]&&("stop"===b&&(a=i(a,function(){e.$apply()})),a=i(l[b],a)),f.sortable("option",b,a)})},!0),b.forEach(l,function(a,b){k[b]=i(a,k[b])})):d.info("ui.sortable: ngModel not provided!",f),f.sortable(k)}}}])}(window,window.angular);
\ No newline at end of file