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France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after months of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective preventive measure" 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 passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have rarely intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and civilians.

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

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

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to snarl the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official departed from government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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