France to begin stopping small boats in Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the English Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the British leader sent a letter to the President asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

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

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

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

Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be permitted to intercept boats before 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 delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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