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French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to back 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 exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

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

"It is crucial that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

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

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

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.

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