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France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

"It is essential that we implement these tactics this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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