diff --git a/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs b/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
index fd5db97b5d8bc..225895adefa4b 100644
--- a/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
+++ b/src/librustc_borrowck/borrowck/mod.rs
@@ -914,9 +914,11 @@ impl<'a, 'tcx> BorrowckCtxt<'a, 'tcx> {
             }
             mc::AliasableStatic |
             mc::AliasableStaticMut => {
-                struct_span_err!(
+                let mut err = struct_span_err!(
                     self.tcx.sess, span, E0388,
-                    "{} in a static location", prefix)
+                    "{} in a static location", prefix);
+                err.span_label(span, &format!("cannot write data in a static definition"));
+                err
             }
             mc::AliasableBorrowed => {
                 struct_span_err!(
diff --git a/src/test/compile-fail/E0017.rs b/src/test/compile-fail/E0017.rs
index 1223a01cbcb6f..44d2f158d20bb 100644
--- a/src/test/compile-fail/E0017.rs
+++ b/src/test/compile-fail/E0017.rs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ static STATIC_REF: &'static mut i32 = &mut X; //~ ERROR E0017
                                               //~| ERROR E0017
                                               //~| NOTE statics require immutable values
                                               //~| ERROR E0388
+                                              //~| NOTE cannot write data in a static definition
 static CONST_REF: &'static mut i32 = &mut C; //~ ERROR E0017
                                              //~| NOTE statics require immutable values
                                              //~| ERROR E0017