French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after British demands

France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.

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