France will start intercepting migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure

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

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

Now, a French maritime police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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