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

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both officers and civilians.

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

Currently, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding lives.

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

The decision to intervene at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to stop boats prior to they pick up migrant passengers from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's not clear how the vessels will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for ways to adjust to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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