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

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats 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 done so often in the previous instances.

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

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