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French officials have consented to start stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the Prime Minister wrote to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

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

French authorities have rarely intervened to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

Now, a French naval police spokesperson says personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the objective of safeguarding human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this warmer season, which ceased when the former government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be allowed to intercept boats before they pick up asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches of northern France, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of interceptions and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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