Under normal circumstances pottery is a carefully crafted work of art, taking weeks to complete.

But Billy Byles from Ashford, a potter with Aylesford Ceramics Ltd near Maidstone, aims to change all that when he tries to beat the Guinness World Record for the number of pots made in an hour.

The current record, held by Mary Chappelhow, from Newcastle, is 83 in an hour.

However, Mr Byles will try to outdo that.

He and a group of three others will each take to their wheels on Sunday, June 28, during the Ceramics South East festival, in the grounds of The Friars, Aylesford.

And if that is not daunting enough, Mrs Chappelhow will be there, trying to beat anything Mr Byles and the other three can do, in defence of her record.

The pots they make will be small flower-type pots, which will be studied and measured by Guinness officials on the day.

Mr Byles, 37, said: “So far I have got it down to 30 seconds a pot.

“I’m aiming to not just beat the record, but completely smash it. I have been doing this since I was 12, so it’s not the speed that bothers me, but I think I will find it pressured having an audience. Especially an audience made up of fellow potters.

“Still. if they can cheer us on that will help.”

It normally takes three to four weeks to produce a finished, glazed piece of pottery.