French authorities to begin stopping migrant vessels in Channel after UK pressure

France has agreed to start intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.

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

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their passengers, according to authoritative confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.

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

Now, a French naval police spokesperson states officers will start taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had earlier been reported as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

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

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to slash the sides of a vessel.

Now French authorities will again be allowed to stop boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be looking for methods to adapt to evade interception, as they have frequently done in the past.

UK immigration authorities and the Prime Minister's office have been contacted for response.

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