Ice sculpture festival impresses crowds in Germany

A giant snail, an enchanted forest and flying swans are among the exhibits impressing crowds at an ice sculpture festival in northern Germany.

The festival, which has been held for the past eight years, opened in Roevershagen on Christmas day.

It took artists from Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Germany two weeks to create the sculptures using 160 tonnes of ice.

The biggest challenge for the artists was working in the freezing temperatures, said the festival's art director, Othmar Schiffer-Belz.

The festival will run until 28 February.