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France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

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

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

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

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

This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.

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

Now French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be looking for methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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