France to begin stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

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

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

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

French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.

That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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