France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French security forces have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.

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

Now, a French naval police representative states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.