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France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to authoritative statements.

French police have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.

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

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

Notably, the official excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived change towards a stricter approach this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the sides of a vessel.

Now French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking 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 approached for response.

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