France will start stopping small boats in English Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following months of insistence from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative statements.

French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

Currently, a French naval police representative says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.

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