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

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader 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 exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and individuals.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel waters."

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

Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.

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