diff --git a/backend/common/src/dense_map.rs b/backend/common/src/dense_map.rs
index d529eb1..24bc60d 100644
--- a/backend/common/src/dense_map.rs
+++ b/backend/common/src/dense_map.rs
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ mod test {
     use super::*;
 
     #[test]
-    fn len_doesnt_panic_if_lots_of_retired() {
+    fn len_doesnt_panic_if_lots_of_ids_are_retired() {
         let mut map = DenseMap::<usize, usize>::new();
 
         let id1 = map.add(1);
diff --git a/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/aggregator.rs b/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/aggregator.rs
index d6604a8..c172680 100644
--- a/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/aggregator.rs
+++ b/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/aggregator.rs
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ impl Aggregator {
     }
 
     /// This is spawned into a separate task and handles any messages coming
-    /// in to the aggregator. If nobody is tolding the tx side of the channel
+    /// in to the aggregator. If nobody is holding the tx side of the channel
     /// any more, this task will gracefully end.
     async fn handle_messages(
         rx_from_external: flume::Receiver<inner_loop::ToAggregator>,
diff --git a/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/inner_loop.rs b/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/inner_loop.rs
index 20ed612..35cc332 100644
--- a/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/inner_loop.rs
+++ b/backend/telemetry_core/src/aggregator/inner_loop.rs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ use std::{
     net::{IpAddr, Ipv4Addr},
     str::FromStr,
 };
+use std::sync::{ Arc, atomic::{ Ordering, AtomicU64 } };
 
 /// Incoming messages come via subscriptions, and end up looking like this.
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ pub enum ToAggregator {
     FromFeedWebsocket(ConnId, FromFeedWebsocket),
     FromFindLocation(NodeId, find_location::Location),
     /// Hand back some metrics. The provided sender is expected not to block when
-    /// a message it sent into it.
+    /// a message is sent into it.
     GatherMetrics(flume::Sender<Metrics>),
 }
 
@@ -117,7 +118,9 @@ pub struct Metrics {
     pub total_messages_to_feeds: usize,
     /// How many messages are queued waiting to be handled by this aggregator.
     pub total_messages_to_aggregator: usize,
-    /// How many nodes are currently known about by this aggregator.
+    /// How many (non-critical) messages have been dropped by the aggregator because it was overwhelmed.
+    pub dropped_messages_to_aggregator: u64,
+    /// How many nodes are currently known to this aggregator.
     pub connected_nodes: usize,
     /// How many feeds are currently connected to this aggregator.
     pub connected_feeds: usize,
@@ -206,9 +209,13 @@ impl InnerLoop {
         let max_queue_len = self.max_queue_len;
         let (metered_tx, metered_rx) = flume::unbounded();
 
+        // Keep count of the number of messages we drop for the sake of metric reporting
+        let dropped_messages = Arc::new(AtomicU64::new(0));
+
         // Actually handle all of our messages, but before we get here, we
         // check the length of the queue below to decide whether or not to
         // pass the message on to this.
+        let dropped_messages2 = Arc::clone(&dropped_messages);
         tokio::spawn(async move {
             while let Ok(msg) = metered_rx.recv_async().await {
                 match msg {
@@ -222,7 +229,7 @@ impl InnerLoop {
                         self.handle_from_find_location(node_id, location)
                     }
                     ToAggregator::GatherMetrics(tx) => {
-                        self.handle_gather_metrics(tx, metered_rx.len())
+                        self.handle_gather_metrics(tx, metered_rx.len(), dropped_messages2.load(Ordering::Relaxed))
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -237,6 +244,9 @@ impl InnerLoop {
                     msg,
                     ToAggregator::FromShardWebsocket(.., FromShardWebsocket::Update { .. })
                 ) {
+                    // Note: this wraps on overflow (which is probably the best
+                    // behaviour for graphing it anyway)
+                    dropped_messages.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
                     continue;
                 }
             }
@@ -253,6 +263,7 @@ impl InnerLoop {
         &mut self,
         rx: flume::Sender<Metrics>,
         total_messages_to_aggregator: usize,
+        dropped_messages_to_aggregator: u64
     ) {
         let timestamp_unix_ms = time::now();
         let connected_nodes = self.node_ids.len();
@@ -271,6 +282,7 @@ impl InnerLoop {
             subscribed_finality_feeds,
             total_messages_to_feeds,
             total_messages_to_aggregator,
+            dropped_messages_to_aggregator,
             connected_nodes,
             connected_feeds,
             connected_shards,
diff --git a/backend/telemetry_core/src/main.rs b/backend/telemetry_core/src/main.rs
index 9be898f..1508daa 100644
--- a/backend/telemetry_core/src/main.rs
+++ b/backend/telemetry_core/src/main.rs
@@ -486,8 +486,8 @@ async fn return_prometheus_metrics(aggregator: AggregatorSet) -> Response<hyper:
     let metrics = aggregator.latest_metrics();
 
     // Instead of using the rust prometheus library (which is optimised around global variables updated across a codebase),
-    // we just split out the text format that prometheus expects ourselves, using whatever the latest metrics that we've
-    // captured so far from the aggregators are. See:
+    // we just split out the text format that prometheus expects ourselves, and use the latest metrics that we've
+    // captured so far from the aggregators. See:
     //
     // https://github.com/prometheus/docs/blob/master/content/docs/instrumenting/exposition_formats.md#text-format-details
     //
@@ -529,6 +529,10 @@ async fn return_prometheus_metrics(aggregator: AggregatorSet) -> Response<hyper:
             "telemetry_total_messages_to_aggregator{{aggregator=\"{}\"}} {} {}\n\n",
             idx, m.total_messages_to_aggregator, m.timestamp_unix_ms
         ));
+        s.push_str(&format!(
+            "telemetry_dropped_messages_to_aggregator{{aggregator=\"{}\"}} {} {}\n\n",
+            idx, m.dropped_messages_to_aggregator, m.timestamp_unix_ms
+        ));
     }
 
     Response::builder()