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France has agreed to start intercepting small boats in the English Channel, following months of pressure from the United Kingdom.

This policy shift comes after the British leader sent a letter to the President urging him to back the initiative and stating there presently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official statements.

French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both officers and individuals.

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

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of safeguarding lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential method to snarl the engines of the vessels.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and President, when French police were witnessed wading into the sea to slash the sides of a boat.

Now French officials will again be allowed to intercept boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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