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French officials have consented to start stopping small boats in the English Channel, following months of insistence from the United Kingdom.

The change in policy follows the Prime Minister sent a letter to the President urging him to support the initiative and stating there currently "lack any effective preventive measure" in the Channel.

French security forces will be allowed to intercept the small boats at sea, but exclusively prior to they've picked up their passengers, according to official confirmation.

French police have rarely acted to prevent the overcrowded boats departing from the coastline because it is viewed as excessively high a danger to both personnel and civilians.

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

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

Notably, the spokesperson ruled out the use of nets to intercept boats, which had earlier been suggested as a possible method to disable the engines of the boats.

The decision to take action at all is a significant step forward, coming after a short-lived shift towards a stricter approach this summer, which dropped off when the previous Interior Minister left office.

That was highlighted in July, in the run-up to a meeting between the UK leader and French president, when authorities were witnessed wading into the sea to damage the hulls of a vessel.

Currently French officials will again be permitted to intercept boats before they collect migrant individuals from the coastal areas of northern France, however it's uncertain how the small boats will be stopped.

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

The Home Office and Downing Street have been approached for comment.

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