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French officials have consented to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the Channel, following months of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and stating there currently "have no effective deterrent" in the Channel.

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

French police have rarely intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as excessively high a risk to both officers and civilians.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this month... We have zero effective prevention in the Channel."

Now, a French maritime police spokesperson states personnel will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

Significantly, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had earlier been suggested as a potential technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.

The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a brief shift towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which dropped off when the former government official left office.

This was demonstrated in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the sides of a boat.

Currently French authorities will again be permitted to intercept boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of interceptions and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking ways to adapt to evade interception, as they have done so often in the past.

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

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