A group of volunteers in Finland are attempting the break the world record for the biggest "ice carousel" created.

The team, led by inventor Janne Kapylehto are using chainsaws to cut the circle of ice on a frozen lake to form the spinning carousel in the municipality of Lappajarvi, western Finland, in the hope it will be large enough to break the world record.

"We are trying to build the world's largest ice carousel. I have done the world's largest ice carousel four times, but currently the record is held by my friend Chuck Zwilling from Minnesota, U.S.. He made another ice carousel [with the] diameter of 228 meters and we are trying to make it even bigger," Kapylehto said.

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The group has attached boat motors to the carousel to make the ice spin, as well as cutting a smaller carousel within the larger one.

In order to break the world record, the ice sculpture has to be "perfect," according to Thor-Fredric Karlsson, a member of the carousel building team.

"Nothing in the world is perfect, but the ice carousel has to be perfect, because if it's not perfectly round, it does not go around. So it has to be measured precisely, then it has to be opened precisely," he said.

Local authorities commissioned the sculpture in the hope it will raise awareness of how climate change is shortening the country's winters.

"This is a little bit strange because we have a very small municipality and this kind of thing. So I think that we have to make something big … a little bit different from other municipalities or cities." Sami Alasara, Lappajarvi's mayor said.

Video editor: Terry Wilson