diff --git a/docs/src/whatsnew/3.8.rst b/docs/src/whatsnew/3.8.rst
index 5687b25cc7..9fa87a9337 100644
--- a/docs/src/whatsnew/3.8.rst
+++ b/docs/src/whatsnew/3.8.rst
@@ -42,6 +42,22 @@ This document explains the changes made to Iris for this release
    any issues or feature requests for improving Iris. Enjoy!
 
 
+v3.8.1 (04 Mar 2024)
+====================
+
+.. dropdown:: v3.8.1 Patches
+   :color: primary
+   :icon: alert
+   :animate: fade-in
+   :open:
+
+   The patches in this release of Iris include:
+
+   #. `@stephenworsley`_ fixed a potential memory leak for Iris uses of
+      :func:`dask.array.map_blocks`; known specifically to be a problem in the
+      :class:`iris.analysis.AreaWeighted` regridder. (:pull:`5767`)
+
+
 📢 Announcements
 ================
 
diff --git a/lib/iris/_lazy_data.py b/lib/iris/_lazy_data.py
index 36c0825ad8..1d569be2d8 100644
--- a/lib/iris/_lazy_data.py
+++ b/lib/iris/_lazy_data.py
@@ -450,10 +450,11 @@ def lazy_elementwise(lazy_array, elementwise_op):
     return da.map_blocks(elementwise_op, lazy_array, dtype=dtype)
 
 
-def map_complete_blocks(src, func, dims, out_sizes):
+def map_complete_blocks(src, func, dims, out_sizes, *args, **kwargs):
     """Apply a function to complete blocks.
 
     Complete means that the data is not chunked along the chosen dimensions.
+    Uses :func:`dask.array.map_blocks` to implement the mapping.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
@@ -465,27 +466,47 @@ def map_complete_blocks(src, func, dims, out_sizes):
         Dimensions that cannot be chunked.
     out_sizes : tuple of int
         Output size of dimensions that cannot be chunked.
+    *args : tuple
+        Additional arguments to pass to `func`.
+    **kwargs : dict
+        Additional keyword arguments to pass to `func`.
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    Array-like
+
+    See Also
+    --------
+    :func:`dask.array.map_blocks` : The function used for the mapping.
 
     """
+    data = None
+    result = None
+
     if is_lazy_data(src):
         data = src
     elif not hasattr(src, "has_lazy_data"):
         # Not a lazy array and not a cube.  So treat as ordinary numpy array.
-        return func(src)
+        result = func(src, *args, **kwargs)
     elif not src.has_lazy_data():
-        return func(src.data)
+        result = func(src.data, *args, **kwargs)
     else:
         data = src.lazy_data()
 
-    # Ensure dims are not chunked
-    in_chunks = list(data.chunks)
-    for dim in dims:
-        in_chunks[dim] = src.shape[dim]
-    data = data.rechunk(in_chunks)
+    if result is None and data is not None:
+        # Ensure dims are not chunked
+        in_chunks = list(data.chunks)
+        for dim in dims:
+            in_chunks[dim] = src.shape[dim]
+        data = data.rechunk(in_chunks)
 
-    # Determine output chunks
-    out_chunks = list(data.chunks)
-    for dim, size in zip(dims, out_sizes):
-        out_chunks[dim] = size
+        # Determine output chunks
+        out_chunks = list(data.chunks)
+        for dim, size in zip(dims, out_sizes):
+            out_chunks[dim] = size
 
-    return data.map_blocks(func, chunks=out_chunks, dtype=src.dtype)
+        result = data.map_blocks(
+            func, *args, chunks=out_chunks, dtype=src.dtype, **kwargs
+        )
+
+    return result
diff --git a/lib/iris/analysis/__init__.py b/lib/iris/analysis/__init__.py
index 773e804a14..df069550b8 100644
--- a/lib/iris/analysis/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/iris/analysis/__init__.py
@@ -1378,18 +1378,16 @@ def _percentile(data, percent, fast_percentile_method=False, **kwargs):
         percent = [percent]
     percent = np.array(percent)
 
-    # Perform the percentile calculation.
-    _partial_percentile = functools.partial(
+    result = iris._lazy_data.map_complete_blocks(
+        data,
         _calc_percentile,
+        (-1,),
+        percent.shape,
         percent=percent,
         fast_percentile_method=fast_percentile_method,
         **kwargs,
     )
 
-    result = iris._lazy_data.map_complete_blocks(
-        data, _partial_percentile, (-1,), percent.shape
-    )
-
     # Check whether to reduce to a scalar result, as per the behaviour
     # of other aggregators.
     if result.shape == (1,):
diff --git a/lib/iris/analysis/_area_weighted.py b/lib/iris/analysis/_area_weighted.py
index 263f83838c..8ee8509fcf 100644
--- a/lib/iris/analysis/_area_weighted.py
+++ b/lib/iris/analysis/_area_weighted.py
@@ -392,9 +392,11 @@ def _regrid_area_weighted_rectilinear_src_and_grid__perform(
 
     tgt_shape = (len(grid_y.points), len(grid_x.points))
 
-    # Calculate new data array for regridded cube.
-    regrid = functools.partial(
+    new_data = map_complete_blocks(
+        src_cube,
         _regrid_along_dims,
+        (src_y_dim, src_x_dim),
+        meshgrid_x.shape,
         x_dim=src_x_dim,
         y_dim=src_y_dim,
         weights=weights,
@@ -402,10 +404,6 @@ def _regrid_area_weighted_rectilinear_src_and_grid__perform(
         mdtol=mdtol,
     )
 
-    new_data = map_complete_blocks(
-        src_cube, regrid, (src_y_dim, src_x_dim), meshgrid_x.shape
-    )
-
     # Wrap up the data as a Cube.
 
     _regrid_callback = functools.partial(
diff --git a/lib/iris/analysis/_regrid.py b/lib/iris/analysis/_regrid.py
index b85265e5d9..70b28df1c7 100644
--- a/lib/iris/analysis/_regrid.py
+++ b/lib/iris/analysis/_regrid.py
@@ -932,9 +932,11 @@ def __call__(self, src):
         x_dim = src.coord_dims(src_x_coord)[0]
         y_dim = src.coord_dims(src_y_coord)[0]
 
-        # Define regrid function
-        regrid = functools.partial(
+        data = map_complete_blocks(
+            src,
             self._regrid,
+            (y_dim, x_dim),
+            sample_grid_x.shape,
             x_dim=x_dim,
             y_dim=y_dim,
             src_x_coord=src_x_coord,
@@ -945,8 +947,6 @@ def __call__(self, src):
             extrapolation_mode=self._extrapolation_mode,
         )
 
-        data = map_complete_blocks(src, regrid, (y_dim, x_dim), sample_grid_x.shape)
-
         # Wrap up the data as a Cube.
         _regrid_callback = functools.partial(
             self._regrid,