France will start intercepting small boats in English Channel after British demands

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

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

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

French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

Currently, a French maritime police representative states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

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

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous government official left office.

That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they pick up migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking ways to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.

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