France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure

French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.