diff --git a/src/fix_deprecated.cpp b/src/fix_deprecated.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8139a14d9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/fix_deprecated.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+   LAMMPS - Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator
+   http://lammps.sandia.gov, Sandia National Laboratories
+   Steve Plimpton, sjplimp@sandia.gov
+
+   Copyright (2003) Sandia Corporation.  Under the terms of Contract
+   DE-AC04-94AL85000 with Sandia Corporation, the U.S. Government retains
+   certain rights in this software.  This software is distributed under
+   the GNU General Public License.
+
+   See the README file in the top-level LAMMPS directory.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+#include <string.h>
+#include "fix_deprecated.h"
+#include "comm.h"
+#include "error.h"
+
+using namespace LAMMPS_NS;
+
+/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+FixDeprecated::FixDeprecated(LAMMPS *lmp, int narg, char **arg) :
+  Fix(lmp, narg, arg)
+{
+  if (strncmp(style,"ave/spatial",11) == 0) {
+    const char *message = "\n"
+    "NOTE: The fix styles 'ave/spatial' and 'ave/spatial/sphere' have been replaced\n"
+    "by the more general fix ave/chunk and compute chunk/atom commands.\n"
+    "All ave/spatial and ave/spatial/sphere functionality is available in these\n"
+    "new commands. These ave/spatial keywords & options are part of fix ave/chunk:\n"
+    "  Nevery, Nrepeat, Nfreq, input values, norm, ave, file, overwrite, title123\n"
+    "These ave/spatial keywords & options for binning are part of compute chunk/atom:\n"
+    "  dim, origin, delta, region, bound, discard, units\n\n";
+
+    if (comm->me == 0) {
+      if (screen) fprintf(screen,message);
+      if (logfile) fprintf(logfile,message);
+    }
+  }
+  error->all(FLERR,"This fix command has been removed from LAMMPS");
+}
diff --git a/src/fix_deprecated.h b/src/fix_deprecated.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dcfe75358f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/fix_deprecated.h
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/* -*- c++ -*- ----------------------------------------------------------
+   LAMMPS - Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator
+   http://lammps.sandia.gov, Sandia National Laboratories
+   Steve Plimpton, sjplimp@sandia.gov
+
+   Copyright (2003) Sandia Corporation.  Under the terms of Contract
+   DE-AC04-94AL85000 with Sandia Corporation, the U.S. Government retains
+   certain rights in this software.  This software is distributed under
+   the GNU General Public License.
+
+   See the README file in the top-level LAMMPS directory.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+#ifdef FIX_CLASS
+
+// list all deprecated and removed fix styles here
+
+FixStyle(ave/spatial,FixDeprecated)
+FixStyle(ave/spatial/sphere,FixDeprecated)
+
+#else
+
+#ifndef LMP_FIX_DEPRECATED_H
+#define LMP_FIX_DEPRECATED_H
+
+#include "fix.h"
+
+namespace LAMMPS_NS {
+
+class FixDeprecated : public Fix {
+ public:
+  FixDeprecated(class LAMMPS *, int, char **);
+  ~FixDeprecated() {}
+  int setmask() {return 0;}
+  void init() {}
+};
+
+}
+
+#endif
+#endif
+
+/* ERROR/WARNING messages:
+
+E: The fix ave/spatial command has been removed from LAMMPS
+
+It has been replaced by the more flexible fix ave/chunk and compute
+chunk/atom commands.  All the fix ave/spatial keywords and options are
+available in those two newer commands.
+
+*/