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

French officials have consented to begin stopping small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the plan and saying there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

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

French authorities have rarely intervened to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a possible technique to snarl the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official left office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.

Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop 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 prevented.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for comment.

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