French authorities to begin stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands

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

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police representative states personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling 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 response.

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