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France has agreed to begin intercepting migrant vessels in the English Channel, following an extended period of insistence from the UK.

This policy shift follows the British leader wrote to the President asking him to support the initiative and saying there presently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

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

French authorities have infrequently intervened to prevent the heavily loaded boats departing from the shoreline because it is viewed as too great a danger to both personnel and individuals.

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

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

Notably, the official ruled out the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been suggested as a potential method to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major advancement, coming after a short-lived change towards a more aggressive approach this summer, which ceased when the former Interior Minister left government.

That was highlighted in the summer month, preceding a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were observed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently delaying the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid interception, as they have frequently done in the previous instances.

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

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