French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

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

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

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

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French officials will again be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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