France will start intercepting small boats in Channel after British demands

France has agreed to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.

French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and civilians.

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

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the propellers of the boats.

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 previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Now French officials will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

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

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