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French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the French leader urging him to support the plan and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

Now, a French naval police representative says personnel will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the vessels.

This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when authorities were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

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

Powerful gusts are presently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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