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France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy follows the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their migrants, according to authoritative confirmation.

French police have rarely acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

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

Significantly, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been reported as a potential method to snarl the engines of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the former government official left office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for comment.

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