France will start intercepting migrant vessels in English Channel following UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to back the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.

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

"It is crucial that we implement these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the objective of protecting human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a vessel.

Currently French officials will once more be permitted to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for ways to adjust 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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