France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands

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

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official statements.

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

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

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

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

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

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

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