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

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

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.

"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.