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

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

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

French authorities have rarely acted to stop the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is considered too great a risk to both officers and civilians.

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

Currently, a French naval police representative states officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of protecting human life.

Notably, the official ruled out the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to snarl the engines of the boats.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the former Interior Minister left office.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, in the run-up to a summit between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French officials will once more be permitted to stop boats prior to they collect migrant passengers from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Strong winds are currently delaying the commencement of interceptions and the people-smuggling gangs will be seeking ways to adjust to evade detection, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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