Fine Gael's problems in Waterford have escalated as Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey has announced he will not contest the next General Election in Waterford.

Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey has settled his High Court action over a newspaper article which he said defamed him when he was likened to an 18th-century highway robber in an article about boundary changes in south Kilkenny.

The case, which took place over 13 days, centred on the newspaper's use of a press release from Paudie Coffey's FG Carlow-Kilkenny colleague, John Paul Phelan.