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France has agreed to begin stopping migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to back the plan and saying there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

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

French police have rarely acted to prevent the heavily loaded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have zero effective deterrent in the Channel."

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

Significantly, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, following a brief change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister departed from office.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's uncertain how the vessels will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently delaying the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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