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French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

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

French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson says officers will start intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.

That was highlighted in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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