France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

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

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

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

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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