diff --git a/ant-networking/src/driver.rs b/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
index 4534b49110..dd99108ad2 100644
--- a/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
+++ b/ant-networking/src/driver.rs
@@ -759,7 +759,6 @@ impl NetworkBuilder {
             quotes_history: Default::default(),
             replication_targets: Default::default(),
             last_replication: None,
-            last_connection_pruning_time: Instant::now(),
             network_density_samples: FifoRegister::new(100),
         };
 
@@ -867,8 +866,6 @@ pub struct SwarmDriver {
     /// when was the last replication event
     /// This allows us to throttle replication no matter how it is triggered
     pub(crate) last_replication: Option<Instant>,
-    /// when was the last outdated connection prunning undertaken.
-    pub(crate) last_connection_pruning_time: Instant,
     /// FIFO cache for the network density samples
     pub(crate) network_density_samples: FifoRegister,
 }
diff --git a/ant-networking/src/event/swarm.rs b/ant-networking/src/event/swarm.rs
index 3bf65eb6d9..b144b3a801 100644
--- a/ant-networking/src/event/swarm.rs
+++ b/ant-networking/src/event/swarm.rs
@@ -612,7 +612,6 @@ impl SwarmDriver {
                 debug!("SwarmEvent has been ignored: {other:?}")
             }
         }
-        self.remove_outdated_connections();
 
         self.log_handling(event_string.to_string(), start.elapsed());
 
@@ -627,9 +626,12 @@ impl SwarmDriver {
     fn remove_bootstrap_from_full(&mut self, peer_id: PeerId) {
         let mut shall_removed = None;
 
+        let mut bucket_index = Some(0);
+
         if let Some(kbucket) = self.swarm.behaviour_mut().kademlia.kbucket(peer_id) {
             if kbucket.num_entries() >= K_VALUE.into() {
-                if let Some(peers) = self.bootstrap_peers.get(&kbucket.range().0.ilog2()) {
+                bucket_index = kbucket.range().0.ilog2();
+                if let Some(peers) = self.bootstrap_peers.get(&bucket_index) {
                     for peer_entry in kbucket.iter() {
                         if peers.contains(peer_entry.node.key.preimage()) {
                             shall_removed = Some(*peer_entry.node.key.preimage());
@@ -649,72 +651,14 @@ impl SwarmDriver {
             if let Some(removed_peer) = entry {
                 self.update_on_peer_removal(*removed_peer.node.key.preimage());
             }
-        }
-    }
-
-    // Remove outdated connection to a peer if it is not in the RT.
-    // Optionally force remove all the connections for a provided peer.
-    fn remove_outdated_connections(&mut self) {
-        // To avoid this being called too frequenctly, only carry out prunning intervally.
-        if Instant::now() < self.last_connection_pruning_time + Duration::from_secs(30) {
-            return;
-        }
-        self.last_connection_pruning_time = Instant::now();
-
-        let mut removed_conns = 0;
-        self.live_connected_peers.retain(|connection_id, (peer_id, _addr, timeout_time)| {
 
-            // skip if timeout isn't reached yet
-            if Instant::now() < *timeout_time {
-                return true; // retain peer
+            // With the switch to using bootstrap cache, workload is distributed already.
+            // to avoid peers keeps being replaced by each other,
+            // there shall be just one time of removal to be undertaken.
+            if let Some(peers) = self.bootstrap_peers.get_mut(&bucket_index) {
+                let _ = peers.remove(&peer_id);
             }
-
-            // ignore if peer is present in our RT
-            if let Some(kbucket) = self.swarm.behaviour_mut().kademlia.kbucket(*peer_id) {
-                if kbucket
-                    .iter()
-                    .any(|peer_entry| *peer_id == *peer_entry.node.key.preimage())
-                {
-                    return true; // retain peer
-                }
-            }
-
-            // skip if the peer is a relay server that we're connected to
-            if let Some(relay_manager) = self.relay_manager.as_ref() {
-                if relay_manager.keep_alive_peer(peer_id) {
-                    return true; // retain peer
-                }
-            }
-
-            // skip if the peer is a node that is being relayed through us
-            if self.connected_relay_clients.contains(peer_id) {
-                return true; // retain peer
-            }
-
-            // actually remove connection
-            let result = self.swarm.close_connection(*connection_id);
-            debug!("Removed outdated connection {connection_id:?} to {peer_id:?} with result: {result:?}");
-
-            removed_conns += 1;
-
-            // do not retain this connection as it has been closed
-            false
-        });
-
-        if removed_conns == 0 {
-            return;
         }
-
-        self.record_connection_metrics();
-
-        debug!(
-            "Current libp2p peers pool stats is {:?}",
-            self.swarm.network_info()
-        );
-        debug!(
-            "Removed {removed_conns} outdated live connections, still have {} left.",
-            self.live_connected_peers.len()
-        );
     }
 
     /// Record the metrics on update of connection state.
diff --git a/ant-networking/src/relay_manager.rs b/ant-networking/src/relay_manager.rs
index 92a1fb8888..171c196625 100644
--- a/ant-networking/src/relay_manager.rs
+++ b/ant-networking/src/relay_manager.rs
@@ -47,12 +47,6 @@ impl RelayManager {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Should we keep this peer alive? Closing a connection to that peer would remove that server from the listen addr.
-    pub(crate) fn keep_alive_peer(&self, peer_id: &PeerId) -> bool {
-        self.connected_relays.contains_key(peer_id)
-            || self.waiting_for_reservation.contains_key(peer_id)
-    }
-
     /// Add a potential candidate to the list if it satisfies all the identify checks and also supports the relay server
     /// protocol.
     pub(crate) fn add_potential_candidates(