French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands

French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent 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 zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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