France will start stopping small boats in English Channel after British demands

French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

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 authorities have infrequently intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.

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

Now, a French naval police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a brief change towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals 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 commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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