French authorities to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands

French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

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

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

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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