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French officials have consented to begin intercepting small boats in the English Channel, after months of insistence from the UK.

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

French maritime police have been authorized to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French authorities have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and individuals.

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

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson says personnel will start intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

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

This determination to intervene at all is a significant advancement, following a brief shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left office.

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

Currently French authorities will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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