France to begin intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following British demands

French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police 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 infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Currently French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

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