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French officials have consented to start intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the plan and stating there presently "lack any effective deterrent" in the Channel.

French maritime police will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both officers and individuals.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have no effective prevention in the Channel waters."

Currently, a French naval police representative says officers will begin intervening at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

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

This determination to intervene at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter approach this warmer season, which ceased when the previous Interior Minister departed from government.

That was highlighted in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the Prime Minister and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they pick up asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be prevented.

Powerful gusts are presently postponing the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adapt to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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