France to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel following British demands

France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.

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

French security forces have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official statements.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

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

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

Notably, the official excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the engines of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous government official left government.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were observed walking into the sea to slash the hulls of a boat.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adjust to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

UK immigration authorities and Downing Street have been contacted for comment.

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