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France has agreed to begin intercepting small boats in the Channel, following an extended period of pressure from the UK.

The change in policy comes after the British leader wrote to the French leader asking him to support the initiative and saying there currently "lack any effective deterrent" in the maritime passage.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but exclusively prior to they've collected their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French police have infrequently acted to stop the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is considered too great a danger to both officers and civilians.

"It is crucial that we deploy these methods this period... We have no effective prevention in the Channel."

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

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

The decision to take action at all is a major advancement, following a short-lived change towards a more aggressive strategy this warmer season, which ceased when the previous government official departed from office.

This was demonstrated in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and President, when French police were witnessed walking into the sea to damage the hulls of a boat.

Currently French authorities will once more be permitted to stop boats before they collect asylum-seeking individuals from the beaches 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 intervention operations and the people-smuggling gangs will be looking for methods to adapt to avoid detection, as they have frequently done in the past.

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

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