French authorities will start stopping migrant vessels in Channel following UK pressure

French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French security forces have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting lives.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.

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 former government official left office.

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

Now French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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