The Clarets have paid an initial £500,000 for the 26-year-old, who had a loan spell at Marseille last season.

Mears' agent Willie McKay told the Lancashire Telegraph: "Tyrone has agreed a three-year deal and passed a medical at Burnley.

"He is really excited by the move and is looking forward to helping Burnley in their first season in first season in the Premier League."

"We are delighted to get Tyrone," Clarets boss Owen Coyle told the club's website. "He is a player with real pace and we have been looking for that in the full-back areas.

"He is hungry, still relatively young and desperate to do well."

Coyle added: "He was on loan at Marseille last year and did terrifically well - so much so that they wanted to sign him permanently.

"Fortunately, he wanted to be back in England and we know he will do well here because he has already shown a desire to show everyone that he is a Premier League player.

"Here at Turf Moor he will get the opportunity."

Mears was part of the Derby side that finished bottom of the table with an all-time low tally of 11 points, but he insists the experience has not affected him.

"It was a freak season, something I do not think will happen again. I have blanked it out of my mind, " Mears told Clarets World.

"I like to get forward but it was difficult to do that as we never had any of the ball. I hope it is going to be different this time with Burnley.

"I may have had experience in the top flight but I still need to prove I am a Premiership player."

Mears was anxious to return home from France for domestic reasons. He said: "It was not a decision which was the best club, more about where I was going to be happy in terms of being with my family.

"Marseille is a great club. If it was a different situation I would have signed there.

"But I needed to come back to England and Burnley have given me that chance in the Premier League."