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

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

The change in policy comes after the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police will be allowed to stop the small boats at sea, but only before they've collected their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently acted to stop the heavily loaded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

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

Now, a French maritime police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting lives.

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in July, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking passengers from the coastal areas of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the vessels will be stopped.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the people-smuggling networks will be seeking methods to adapt to avoid detection, 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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