France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure

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

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.