French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands

France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.

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

Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.