diff --git a/consensus/bor/bor.go b/consensus/bor/bor.go
index 5b32263762..cffe692843 100644
--- a/consensus/bor/bor.go
+++ b/consensus/bor/bor.go
@@ -298,6 +298,14 @@ func (c *Bor) VerifyHeader(chain consensus.ChainHeaderReader, header *types.Head
 	return c.verifyHeader(chain, header, nil)
 }
 
+func (c *Bor) GetSpanner() Spanner {
+	return c.spanner
+}
+
+func (c *Bor) SetSpanner(spanner Spanner) {
+	c.spanner = spanner
+}
+
 // VerifyHeaders is similar to VerifyHeader, but verifies a batch of headers. The
 // method returns a quit channel to abort the operations and a results channel to
 // retrieve the async verifications (the order is that of the input slice).
@@ -454,6 +462,43 @@ func (c *Bor) verifyCascadingFields(chain consensus.ChainHeaderReader, header *t
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// Verify the validator list match the local contract
+	if IsSprintStart(number+1, c.config.CalculateSprint(number)) {
+		parentBlockNumber := number - 1
+
+		var newValidators []*valset.Validator
+
+		var err error
+
+		for newValidators, err = c.spanner.GetCurrentValidators(context.Background(), chain.GetHeaderByNumber(parentBlockNumber).Hash(), number+1); err != nil && parentBlockNumber > 0; {
+			parentBlockNumber--
+		}
+
+		if err != nil {
+			return errUnknownValidators
+		}
+
+		sort.Sort(valset.ValidatorsByAddress(newValidators))
+
+		headerVals, err := valset.ParseValidators(header.Extra[extraVanity : len(header.Extra)-extraSeal])
+
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		sort.Sort(valset.ValidatorsByAddress(headerVals))
+
+		if len(newValidators) != len(headerVals) {
+			return errInvalidSpanValidators
+		}
+
+		for i, val := range newValidators {
+			if !bytes.Equal(val.HeaderBytes(), headerVals[i].HeaderBytes()) {
+				return errInvalidSpanValidators
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	// verify the validator list in the last sprint block
 	if IsSprintStart(number, c.config.CalculateSprint(number)) {
 		parentValidatorBytes := parent.Extra[extraVanity : len(parent.Extra)-extraSeal]
diff --git a/consensus/bor/heimdall/span/spanner.go b/consensus/bor/heimdall/span/spanner.go
index e0f2d66c6b..5001b0f738 100644
--- a/consensus/bor/heimdall/span/spanner.go
+++ b/consensus/bor/heimdall/span/spanner.go
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func (c *ChainSpanner) GetCurrentValidators(ctx context.Context, headerHash comm
 		Data: &msgData,
 	}, blockNr, nil)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	var (
diff --git a/tests/bor/bor_test.go b/tests/bor/bor_test.go
index 2dc20a915e..e6e8188ce0 100644
--- a/tests/bor/bor_test.go
+++ b/tests/bor/bor_test.go
@@ -392,12 +392,18 @@ func TestInsertingSpanSizeBlocks(t *testing.T) {
 
 	currentValidators := []*valset.Validator{valset.NewValidator(addr, 10)}
 
+	spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, currentValidators)
+	_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 	// Insert sprintSize # of blocks so that span is fetched at the start of a new sprint
 	for i := uint64(1); i <= spanSize; i++ {
 		block = buildNextBlock(t, _bor, chain, block, nil, init.genesis.Config.Bor, nil, currentValidators)
 		insertNewBlock(t, chain, block)
 	}
 
+	spanner = getMockedSpanner(t, currentSpan.ValidatorSet.Validators)
+	_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 	validators, err := _bor.GetCurrentValidators(context.Background(), block.Hash(), spanSize) // check validator set at the first block of new span
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("%s", err)
@@ -427,6 +433,9 @@ func TestFetchStateSyncEvents(t *testing.T) {
 
 	currentValidators := []*valset.Validator{valset.NewValidator(addr, 10)}
 
+	spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, currentValidators)
+	_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 	// Insert sprintSize # of blocks so that span is fetched at the start of a new sprint
 	for i := uint64(1); i < sprintSize; i++ {
 		if IsSpanEnd(i) {
@@ -528,6 +537,9 @@ func TestFetchStateSyncEvents_2(t *testing.T) {
 			currentValidators = []*valset.Validator{valset.NewValidator(addr, 10)}
 		}
 
+		spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, currentValidators)
+		_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 		block = buildNextBlock(t, _bor, chain, block, nil, init.genesis.Config.Bor, nil, currentValidators)
 		insertNewBlock(t, chain, block)
 	}
@@ -554,6 +566,9 @@ func TestFetchStateSyncEvents_2(t *testing.T) {
 			currentValidators = []*valset.Validator{valset.NewValidator(addr, 10)}
 		}
 
+		spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, currentValidators)
+		_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 		block = buildNextBlock(t, _bor, chain, block, nil, init.genesis.Config.Bor, nil, res.Result.ValidatorSet.Validators)
 		insertNewBlock(t, chain, block)
 	}
@@ -580,6 +595,8 @@ func TestOutOfTurnSigning(t *testing.T) {
 
 	h.EXPECT().Close().AnyTimes()
 
+	spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, heimdallSpan.ValidatorSet.Validators)
+	_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
 	_bor.SetHeimdallClient(h)
 
 	db := init.ethereum.ChainDb()
@@ -1082,6 +1099,9 @@ func TestJaipurFork(t *testing.T) {
 
 	res, _ := loadSpanFromFile(t)
 
+	spanner := getMockedSpanner(t, res.Result.ValidatorSet.Validators)
+	_bor.SetSpanner(spanner)
+
 	for i := uint64(1); i < sprintSize; i++ {
 		block = buildNextBlock(t, _bor, chain, block, nil, init.genesis.Config.Bor, nil, res.Result.ValidatorSet.Validators)
 		insertNewBlock(t, chain, block)
diff --git a/tests/bor/helper.go b/tests/bor/helper.go
index e28076a3b1..e1b83858b3 100644
--- a/tests/bor/helper.go
+++ b/tests/bor/helper.go
@@ -352,6 +352,16 @@ func getMockedHeimdallClient(t *testing.T, heimdallSpan *span.HeimdallSpan) (*mo
 	return h, ctrl
 }
 
+func getMockedSpanner(t *testing.T, validators []*valset.Validator) *bor.MockSpanner {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	spanner := bor.NewMockSpanner(gomock.NewController(t))
+	spanner.EXPECT().GetCurrentValidators(gomock.Any(), gomock.Any(), gomock.Any()).Return(validators, nil).AnyTimes()
+	spanner.EXPECT().GetCurrentSpan(gomock.Any(), gomock.Any()).Return(&span.Span{0, 0, 0}, nil).AnyTimes()
+	spanner.EXPECT().CommitSpan(gomock.Any(), gomock.Any(), gomock.Any(), gomock.Any(), gomock.Any()).Return(nil).AnyTimes()
+	return spanner
+}
+
 func generateFakeStateSyncEvents(sample *clerk.EventRecordWithTime, count int) []*clerk.EventRecordWithTime {
 	events := make([]*clerk.EventRecordWithTime, count)
 	event := *sample