Police and business leaders have distanced themselves from a suggestion that foreign students face curbs on entering shops in a city where they have been blamed for a surge in shoplifting and theft.
A report prepared for Plymouth City Council says traders blame these students, who come to the UK to learn English at the many language schools in the city, for a surge in thefts which have caused "large financial losses".
It mooted placing signs on shops "limiting the number of students allowed in at any one time".
The document, written by the city centre manager, Clint Jones, said the ideas had come from traders' group Plymouth Against Retail Crime (Parc) and community support officers (PCSOs) working for Devon and Cornwall Police.
Both the police and Plymouth City Centre Company moved swiftly to distance themselves from the suggestion, saying it had been quickly dismissed after it was raised.
"Plymouth City Centre Company can categorically state that none of the suggested actions within the report by Plymouth Against Retail Crime (Parc) in relation to foreign students will be implemented in Plymouth," a spokesman said.
"These early suggestions, first discussed in September last year by Parc members, were deemed wholly inappropriate by Plymouth City Centre Company and the Police. Having already been dismissed, their inclusion in a report to the City Council was an oversight for which we apologise.
"Plymouth is home to scores of language schools and we welcome thousands of students each year. We continue to work closely with language schools to ensure that students feel welcome, enjoy our city and have all the information they need for a safe and responsible stay."
The report, presented to the city council's growth and prosperity overview and scrutiny panel, was presented as part of Operation Drake, a large police project designed to make sure foreign language students stay safe in the city and primarily geared towards making sure they are not victims of crime.
In the report, Mr Jones said: "Over the past five years we have seen in Plymouth, especially the city centre area, a large influx of foreign students.
"Feedback received from retailers has been that they have experienced an increase in shoplifting and anti-social behaviour from foreign students, incurring large financial losses."
It then suggests a three-pronged action plan, which includes shops displaying stickers "limiting the number of students allowed in at any one time" and also giving out material including wallet cards for students and posters to language school telling them how the plan would work.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said that the "issue has been taken completely out of context and risks damaging the very real and valuable work we do with language schools".
"Operation Drake is a proactive project to positively engage with foreign language students, welcoming them to the city, giving them helpful information and advice.
"Local PCSOs arm students with useful contact details should they require help from local police and measures they can take to ensure they stay safe."