France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure

French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels 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 considered too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

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

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the propellers of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

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

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.

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