London, Jan 13 : Brit actress Emma Thompson has joined forces with comedian Alastair McGowan and Greenpeace to buy an area of land which is the proposed site for a third runway at Heathrow.

Thompson, McGowan, the environmental group and millionaire Tory Zac Goldsmith bought the football pitch-sized land at the end of last week for an undisclosed price.

BAA, the owner of Heathrow, has been looking into the expansion of the runway onto the land, and if it gets the go ahead, the Government could make a compulsory purchase.

But Greenpeace has vowed to fight any attempt to buy the land and point to years of experience and legal clout, and has invited members of the public to join in the purchase of the land.

"I don''t understand how any government remotely serious about committing to reversing climate change can even consider these ridiculous plans. It''s laughably hypocritical," the Telegraph quoted Thompson as saying.

"That''s why we''ve bought a plot on the runway. We''ll stop this from happening even if we have to move in and plant vegetables," she stated.

TV impressionist McGowan, who lives beneath the flight path in west London, is confident the public will join them in the fight.

"BAA were so confident of getting the Government''s go ahead, but we have cunningly bought the land they need to build their runway. Now that we own it, we''ll never sell it to them and we''re confident that we''ll be joined by people from all over the world who will help us defend it," he said.

Protesters were staging a protest in Terminal One last night against the third runway, which they claim will increase noise pollution and make a mockery of the UK''s efforts to cut greenhous gas emissions.

Protesters have already created a message in chalk on the land visible from the air reading: "Our climate, our land".

"We''ve thrown a massive spanner in the engine driving Heathrow expansion," John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said.

"As the new owners of the land where the Government wants to build the runway, we''ll resist all attempts at compulsory purchase and represent millions of people from across the world at any planning inquiry.

"And if it comes to it, Greenpeace will be joined by huge numbers of people to block BAA''s bulldozers from getting onto our land. This site will become a focus for climate campaigners across Britain and the wider world because this new runway cannot and will not be built.

"People wanting to take a stake in this project should go to the Greenpeace UK website and sign up," he added.

However, BAA argues that Heathrow must expand to retain its position as a global hub and avoid being overtaken by other world centres like Dubai. (ANI)