4.15.0 update breaks LIRC

After an automatic kernel updated of 16.04 to kernel 4.15.0, my LIRC installation failed. Every time MythTV tried to change channels on my cable box, the LIRC drivers were unloaded - /etc/init.d/lirc stop was actually run.

I tried for days to fix the issue, but it was only fixed by rolling back to 4.13.0-45-generic.

An example of the syslogs when rebooting, then trying to use irsend:

Jul 7 12:02:56 gossamer lircd-0.9.0[26736]: lircd(default) ready, using /run/lirc/lircd
Jul 7 12:02:56 gossamer lirc[26723]: ...done.
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lirc[599]: * Loading LIRC modules
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lirc[599]: ...done.
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lirc[599]: find: ‘/sys/class/rc/*/’: No such file or directory
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lirc[599]: * Starting remote control daemon(s) :
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lircd-0.9.0[691]: lircd(default) ready, using /run/lirc/lircd
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer lirc[599]: ...done.
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.330964] lirc_dev: IR Remote Control driver registered, major 241
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.457142] lirc_zilog: module is from the staging directory, the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.457152] lirc_zilog: module is from the staging directory, the quality is unknown, you have been warned.
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.457203] lirc_zilog: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing - tainting kernel
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.489972] lirc lirc0: lirc_dev: driver lirc_zilog registered at minor = 0
Jul 7 12:05:29 gossamer kernel: [ 18.489976] i2c i2c-13: IR unit on Hauppage HD PVR I2C (i2c-13) registered as lirc0 and ready
Jul 7 12:06:16 gossamer /usr/local/bin/mythtv_channel_change.sh: irsend --device=/usr/var/run/lirc/lircd SEND_ONCE blaster 0_41_KEY_2
Jul 7 12:06:17 gossamer /usr/local/bin/mythtv_channel_change.sh: irsend --device=/usr/var/run/lirc/lircd SEND_ONCE blaster 0_41_KEY_6
Jul 7 12:10:27 gossamer lircd-0.9.0[691]: accepted new client on /run/lirc/lircd
Jul 7 12:10:28 gossamer lircd-0.9.0[691]: removed client
Jul 7 12:10:28 gossamer lirc[4121]: find: ‘/sys/class/rc/*/’: No such file or directory
Jul 7 12:10:28 gossamer lirc[4121]: * Stopping remote control daemon(s): LIRC
Jul 7 12:10:28 gossamer lircd-0.9.0[691]: caught signal
Jul 7 12:10:28 gossamer lirc[4121]: ...done.