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

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official statements.

French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

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

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

This determination to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

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

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for response.

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