diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index dea0cfce34..8f2e3b2ad4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org).
 ### Fixed
 
 - TEXT and TIMEVALUE functions. [Issue #4249](https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/issues/4249) [PR #4354](https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/pull/4354)
+- Removing Columns/Rows Containing Merged Cells. Backport of [PR #4465](https://github.com/PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet/pull/4465)
 
 # 2025-02-07 - 2.3.8
 
diff --git a/src/PhpSpreadsheet/Worksheet/Worksheet.php b/src/PhpSpreadsheet/Worksheet/Worksheet.php
index 2a4df38132..dcd318dd8f 100644
--- a/src/PhpSpreadsheet/Worksheet/Worksheet.php
+++ b/src/PhpSpreadsheet/Worksheet/Worksheet.php
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 namespace PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet;
 
 use ArrayObject;
+use Composer\Pcre\Preg;
 use Generator;
 use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Calculation\Calculation;
 use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Calculation\Functions;
@@ -1196,8 +1197,8 @@ private function getWorksheetAndCoordinate(string $coordinate): array
                 throw new Exception('Sheet not found for name: ' . $worksheetReference[0]);
             }
         } elseif (
-            !preg_match('/^' . Calculation::CALCULATION_REGEXP_CELLREF . '$/i', $coordinate)
-            && preg_match('/^' . Calculation::CALCULATION_REGEXP_DEFINEDNAME . '$/iu', $coordinate)
+            !Preg::isMatch('/^' . Calculation::CALCULATION_REGEXP_CELLREF . '$/i', $coordinate)
+            && Preg::isMatch('/^' . Calculation::CALCULATION_REGEXP_DEFINEDNAME . '$/iu', $coordinate)
         ) {
             // Named range?
             $namedRange = $this->validateNamedRange($coordinate, true);
@@ -1705,7 +1706,7 @@ public function mergeCells(AddressRange|string|array $range, string $behaviour =
             $range .= ":{$range}";
         }
 
-        if (preg_match('/^([A-Z]+)(\d+):([A-Z]+)(\d+)$/', $range, $matches) !== 1) {
+        if (!Preg::isMatch('/^([A-Z]+)(\d+):([A-Z]+)(\d+)$/', $range, $matches)) {
             throw new Exception('Merge must be on a valid range of cells.');
         }
 
@@ -1732,9 +1733,9 @@ public function mergeCells(AddressRange|string|array $range, string $behaviour =
         if ($behaviour !== self::MERGE_CELL_CONTENT_HIDE) {
             // Blank out the rest of the cells in the range (if they exist)
             if ($numberRows > $numberColumns) {
-                $this->clearMergeCellsByColumn($firstColumn, $lastColumn, $firstRow, $lastRow, $upperLeft, $behaviour);
+                $this->clearMergeCellsByColumn($firstColumn, $lastColumn, $firstRow, $lastRow, $upperLeft, $behaviour); //* @phpstan-ignore-line
             } else {
-                $this->clearMergeCellsByRow($firstColumn, $lastColumnIndex, $firstRow, $lastRow, $upperLeft, $behaviour);
+                $this->clearMergeCellsByRow($firstColumn, $lastColumnIndex, $firstRow, $lastRow, $upperLeft, $behaviour); //* @phpstan-ignore-line
             }
         }
 
@@ -2341,6 +2342,42 @@ public function removeRow(int $row, int $numberOfRows = 1): static
         if ($row < 1) {
             throw new Exception('Rows to be deleted should at least start from row 1.');
         }
+        $startRow = $row;
+        $endRow = $startRow + $numberOfRows - 1;
+        $removeKeys = [];
+        $addKeys = [];
+        foreach ($this->mergeCells as $key => $value) {
+            if (
+                Preg::isMatch(
+                    '/^([a-z]{1,3})(\d+):([a-z]{1,3})(\d+)/i',
+                    $key,
+                    $matches
+                )
+            ) {
+                $startMergeInt = (int) $matches[2];
+                $endMergeInt = (int) $matches[4];
+                if ($startMergeInt >= $startRow) {
+                    if ($startMergeInt <= $endRow) {
+                        $removeKeys[] = $key;
+                    }
+                } elseif ($endMergeInt >= $startRow) {
+                    if ($endMergeInt <= $endRow) {
+                        $temp = $endMergeInt - 1;
+                        $removeKeys[] = $key;
+                        if ($temp !== $startMergeInt) {
+                            $temp3 = $matches[1] . $matches[2] . ':' . $matches[3] . $temp;
+                            $addKeys[] = $temp3;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        foreach ($removeKeys as $key) {
+            unset($this->mergeCells[$key]);
+        }
+        foreach ($addKeys as $key) {
+            $this->mergeCells[$key] = $key;
+        }
 
         $holdRowDimensions = $this->removeRowDimensions($row, $numberOfRows);
         $highestRow = $this->getHighestDataRow();
@@ -2397,6 +2434,43 @@ public function removeColumn(string $column, int $numberOfColumns = 1): static
         if (is_numeric($column)) {
             throw new Exception('Column references should not be numeric.');
         }
+        $startColumnInt = Coordinate::columnIndexFromString($column);
+        $endColumnInt = $startColumnInt + $numberOfColumns - 1;
+        $removeKeys = [];
+        $addKeys = [];
+        foreach ($this->mergeCells as $key => $value) {
+            if (
+                Preg::isMatch(
+                    '/^([a-z]{1,3})(\d+):([a-z]{1,3})(\d+)/i',
+                    $key,
+                    $matches
+                )
+            ) {
+                $startMergeInt = Coordinate::columnIndexFromString($matches[1]);
+                $endMergeInt = Coordinate::columnIndexFromString($matches[3]);
+                if ($startMergeInt >= $startColumnInt) {
+                    if ($startMergeInt <= $endColumnInt) {
+                        $removeKeys[] = $key;
+                    }
+                } elseif ($endMergeInt >= $startColumnInt) {
+                    if ($endMergeInt <= $endColumnInt) {
+                        $temp = Coordinate::columnIndexFromString($matches[3]) - 1;
+                        $temp2 = Coordinate::stringFromColumnIndex($temp);
+                        $removeKeys[] = $key;
+                        if ($temp2 !== $matches[1]) {
+                            $temp3 = $matches[1] . $matches[2] . ':' . $temp2 . $matches[4];
+                            $addKeys[] = $temp3;
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        foreach ($removeKeys as $key) {
+            unset($this->mergeCells[$key]);
+        }
+        foreach ($addKeys as $key) {
+            $this->mergeCells[$key] = $key;
+        }
 
         $highestColumn = $this->getHighestDataColumn();
         $highestColumnIndex = Coordinate::columnIndexFromString($highestColumn);
@@ -3545,7 +3619,7 @@ public function hasCodeName(): bool
 
     public static function nameRequiresQuotes(string $sheetName): bool
     {
-        return preg_match(self::SHEET_NAME_REQUIRES_NO_QUOTES, $sheetName) !== 1;
+        return !Preg::isMatch(self::SHEET_NAME_REQUIRES_NO_QUOTES, $sheetName);
     }
 
     public function isRowVisible(int $row): bool
diff --git a/tests/PhpSpreadsheetTests/Worksheet/MergeCellsDeletedTest.php b/tests/PhpSpreadsheetTests/Worksheet/MergeCellsDeletedTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5df39bcd8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/PhpSpreadsheetTests/Worksheet/MergeCellsDeletedTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheetTests\Worksheet;
+
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Reader\Xlsx as XlsxReader;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Spreadsheet;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Style\Alignment;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Style\Fill;
+use PhpOffice\PhpSpreadsheet\Worksheet\Worksheet;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+
+class MergeCellsDeletedTest extends TestCase
+{
+    public function testDeletedColumns(): void
+    {
+        $infile = 'tests/data/Reader/XLSX/issue.282.xlsx';
+        $reader = new XlsxReader();
+        $spreadsheet = $reader->load($infile);
+        $sheet = $spreadsheet->getSheetByNameOrThrow('Sheet1');
+
+        $mergeCells = $sheet->getMergeCells();
+        self::assertSame(['B1:F1', 'G1:I1'], array_values($mergeCells));
+
+        // Want to delete column B,C,D,E,F
+        $sheet->removeColumnByIndex(2, 5);
+        $mergeCells2 = $sheet->getMergeCells();
+        self::assertSame(['B1:D1'], array_values($mergeCells2));
+        $spreadsheet->disconnectWorksheets();
+    }
+
+    public function testDeletedRows(): void
+    {
+        $infile = 'tests/data/Reader/XLSX/issue.282.xlsx';
+        $reader = new XlsxReader();
+        $spreadsheet = $reader->load($infile);
+        $sheet = $spreadsheet->getSheetByNameOrThrow('Sheet2');
+
+        $mergeCells = $sheet->getMergeCells();
+        self::assertSame(['A2:A6', 'A7:A9'], array_values($mergeCells));
+
+        // Want to delete rows 2 to 4
+        $sheet->removeRow(2, 3);
+        $mergeCells2 = $sheet->getMergeCells();
+        self::assertSame(['A4:A6'], array_values($mergeCells2));
+        $spreadsheet->disconnectWorksheets();
+    }
+
+    private static function yellowBackground(Worksheet $sheet, string $cells, string $color = 'ffffff00'): void
+    {
+        $sheet->getStyle($cells)
+            ->getFill()
+            ->setFillType(Fill::FILL_SOLID);
+        $sheet->getStyle($cells)
+            ->getFill()
+            ->getStartColor()
+            ->setArgb($color);
+        $sheet->getStyle($cells)
+            ->getAlignment()
+            ->setHorizontal(Alignment::HORIZONTAL_CENTER);
+    }
+
+    public static function testDeletedColumns2(): void
+    {
+        $spreadsheet = new Spreadsheet();
+        $sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
+        $sheet->setTitle('Before');
+        $sheet->getCell('A1')->setValue('a1');
+        $sheet->getCell('J1')->setValue('j1');
+        $sheet->getCell('K1')->setValue('will delete d-f');
+        $sheet->getCell('C1')->setValue('c1-g1');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('C1:G1');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'C1');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('A2')->setValue('a2');
+        $sheet->getCell('J2')->setValue('j2');
+        $sheet->getCell('B2')->setValue('b2-c2');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('B2:C2');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'B2');
+        $sheet->getCell('G2')->setValue('g2-h2');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('G2:H2');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'G2', 'FF00FFFF');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('A3')->setValue('a3');
+        $sheet->getCell('J3')->setValue('j3');
+        $sheet->getCell('D3')->setValue('d3-g3');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('D3:G3');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'D3');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('A4')->setValue('a4');
+        $sheet->getCell('J4')->setValue('j4');
+        $sheet->getCell('B4')->setValue('b4-d4');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('B4:D4');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'B4');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('A5')->setValue('a5');
+        $sheet->getCell('J5')->setValue('j5');
+        $sheet->getCell('D5')->setValue('d5-e5');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('D5:E5');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'D5');
+
+        $sheet->removeColumn('D', 3);
+        $expected = [
+            'C1:D1', // was C1:G1, drop 3 inside cells
+            'B2:C2', // was B2:C2, unaffected
+            'D2:E2', // was G2:H2, move 3 columns left
+            //'D2:E2', // was D3:G3, start in delete range
+            'B4:C4', // was B4:D4, truncated at start of delete range
+            //'D5:E5', // was D5:E5, start in delete range
+        ];
+        self::assertSame($expected, array_keys($sheet->getMergeCells()));
+
+        $spreadsheet->disconnectWorksheets();
+    }
+
+    public static function testDeletedRows2(): void
+    {
+        $spreadsheet = new Spreadsheet();
+        $sheet = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheet();
+        $sheet->setTitle('Before');
+        $sheet->getCell('A1')->setValue('a1');
+        $sheet->getCell('A10')->setValue('a10');
+        $sheet->getCell('A11')->setValue('will delete 4-6');
+        $sheet->getCell('A3')->setValue('a3-a7');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('A3:A7');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'A3');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('B1')->setValue('b1');
+        $sheet->getCell('B10')->setValue('b10');
+        $sheet->getCell('B2')->setValue('b2-b3');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('B2:B3');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'B2');
+        $sheet->getCell('B7')->setValue('b7-b8');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('B7:B8');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'B7', 'FF00FFFF');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('C1')->setValue('c1');
+        $sheet->getCell('C10')->setValue('c10');
+        $sheet->getCell('C4')->setValue('c4-c7');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('C4:C7');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'C4');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('D1')->setValue('d1');
+        $sheet->getCell('D10')->setValue('d10');
+        $sheet->getCell('D2')->setValue('d2-d4');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('D2:D4');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'd2');
+
+        $sheet->getCell('E1')->setValue('e1');
+        $sheet->getCell('E10')->setValue('e10');
+        $sheet->getCell('E4')->setValue('e4-e5');
+        $sheet->mergeCells('E4:E5');
+        self::yellowBackground($sheet, 'E4');
+
+        $sheet->removeRow(4, 3);
+        $expected = [
+            'A3:A4', // was A3:A7, drop 3 inside cells
+            'B2:B3', // was B2:B3, unaffected
+            'B4:B5', // was B7:B8, move 3 columns up
+            //'C4:C7', // was C4:C7, start in delete range
+            'D2:D3', // was D2:D4, truncated at start of delete range
+            //'E4:E5', // was E4:E5, start in delete range
+        ];
+        self::assertSame($expected, array_keys($sheet->getMergeCells()));
+
+        $spreadsheet->disconnectWorksheets();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/data/Reader/XLSX/issue.282.xlsx b/tests/data/Reader/XLSX/issue.282.xlsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..95751ba13e
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/data/Reader/XLSX/issue.282.xlsx differ