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French officials have consented to start intercepting small boats in the Channel, after an extended period of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the British leader sent a letter to the French leader asking him to back the plan and saying there presently "lack any 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 statements.

French police have infrequently intervened to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the shoreline because it is considered excessively high a danger to both personnel and individuals.

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

Now, a French naval police representative says officers will begin taking action at sea, with the aim of safeguarding human life.

Notably, the spokesperson excluded the use of entanglement devices to intercept boats, which had previously been suggested as a possible technique to disable the propellers of the vessels.

This determination to take action at all is a major step forward, coming after a brief change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister departed from office.

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

Now French officials will again be allowed to stop boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, although it's uncertain how the small boats will be prevented.

Strong winds are presently postponing the commencement of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be seeking methods to adjust to evade detection, as they have done so often in the past.

The Home Office and the Prime Minister's office have been approached for response.

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• Reasons Britain cannot just send back migrants to France
• French government withdrawing from commitment to intercept migrant boats