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France has agreed to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the former government official departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been approached for comment.

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