The river Pant rises near Sewards End to the south east of Saffron Walden. It is a predominantly rural catchment and flows in a south easterly direction through Great Sampford and Finchingfield towards Braintree, where it becomes known as the river Blackwater.

 

The name derives from a discharge from a textile works at Bocking which once turned the river black. From Braintree the river meanders its way through Coggeshall, Kelvedon and Witham, where it meets the River Brain, and on to Maldon. The river Blackwater supports a high class fishery and is an important source of public drinking water.

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To view the Environment Agency's Catchment Data Explorer page for this river click here.