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

French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential technique to snarl the engines of the vessels.

The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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