France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been contacted for response.