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French officials have consented to begin stopping migrant vessels in the English Channel, following 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 initiative and stating there currently "have no effective preventive measure" in the maritime passage.

French maritime police have been authorized to intercept the migrant vessels at sea, but only before they've picked up their migrants, according to official confirmation.

French authorities have infrequently acted to prevent the overcrowded boats leaving the coastline because it is viewed as too great a risk to both personnel and individuals.

"It is essential that we deploy these tactics this period... We have no effective deterrent in the Channel waters."

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

Significantly, the spokesperson excluded the use of nets to stop boats, which had previously been reported as a possible technique to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to intervene at all is a significant step forward, following a short-lived change towards a stricter strategy this summer, which ceased when the previous government official left office.

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

Currently French authorities will again be allowed to intercept boats prior to they collect migrant individuals from the beaches of France's north coast, however it's not clear how the vessels will be stopped.

Powerful gusts are currently postponing the start of intervention operations and the human trafficking gangs will be looking for ways to adapt to evade detection, as they have done so often in the previous instances.

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

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