AUTHOR Sandra Fretwell was shocked to see herself in an online video posted by eco-warriors 9,500 miles away in Australia.

She features in a clip on You Tube celebrating the success of a campaign against a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline and processing plant at James Price Point, near Broome, in Western Australia.

Sandra, who writes Pink Pippos Of Portland children’s books, sent a photo supporting the fight after being contacted by a friend Down Under.

Now she has appeared in a celebratory video after the campaigners won their battle against the $35million (Australian dollars) scheme.

Sandra said: “It was a no-brainer.

“The coastline in that area shares much with the Jurassic coast, here in Dorset. “Both are areas of outstanding natural beauty; both are repositories for priceless dinosaur fossils.

“At the time, I’d just published my second ‘Pink Pippo’ adventure so I decided to feature it in my photo.

“My husband and I went up to the Olympic rings on Portland and he took a photo showing me with the rings and Chesil Beach in the background. He then added the message:, ‘The Pink Pippos Of Portland, supporting their Oz cousins, say: NO GAS AT JPP!’.”

The coastline of the Dampier Peninsula, north of Broome, in the west Kimberley, preserves one of the largest and most significant stretches of dinosaur track sites in the world.

It also features in an ancient Aboriginal songline of which the dinosaur tracks form an integral part.

Sandra said that all would have been lost forever if the scheme went ahead.

Sandra was asked to support the campaign by her friend, who lives in Western Australia, in December 2012.

It came after the state government of Western Australia and its partner Woodside Petroleum announced the proposal in 2008.

Sandra published her first Pink Pippo adventure in 2002.

It went on to sell 2,000 copies and books were sent all over the world, including some to Australia.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first book, Sandra published a second adventure called The Pink Pippos of Portland and The Underwater Games in December 2012.

Sandra said that Pink Pippos were always to be found near sensitive or threatened ecologies.

The video can be found by searching for the title ‘Thank you – for uniting to stop the gas hub!’ on YouTube.