French authorities to begin intercepting small boats in English Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

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

French police have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.

"It is essential that we implement these methods this month... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."

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

Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible method to disable the propellers of the boats.

This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a short-lived shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official departed from government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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