France will start stopping small boats in Channel following British demands

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

The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.